


Never a Coincidence

by starlighttrash



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Blood and Violence, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Jeongin is a pure baby, M/M, Mates, My First Work in This Fandom, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Werewolf Mates, Wolves Have Powers In This, that one fic where Minho always calls hyunjin a dumbass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2020-05-31 01:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 53,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19415719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlighttrash/pseuds/starlighttrash
Summary: Felix lost his family. Minho lost his identity. Hyunjin lost a specific feeling. Changbin lost his past life. Seungmin lost a piece of himself. Jisung lost his dignity. Woojin and Chan lost their first home. And Jeongin? Well he’s doing okay.Just outside the city is a grand and beautiful forest that, for years, locals have claimed to be haunted and filled with killer creatures or just bad energy in general. This led people to avoid such a place, but little did these humans know, that it was something far more than an average forest.[Alternatively: Felix, Minho, and Hyunjin find what they are looking for in said forest and the rest find what they’re looking for in the three boys. A SKZ Werewolf!AU that no one asked for.]





	1. Don't Be Fooled

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Before you read I just wanted to let everyone know this is my first work in the SKZ fandom, so I hope I'm welcomed lol >.<  
> Also, THANK YOU DiamondWings for being this fic's Beta (pun intended!) to edit chapters~
> 
> I'm supper excited to be writing this story that I've been working on and planning for three months now! Hope you all enjoy! I'll see you at the end notes~
> 
> **Ages have been compleatly changed to fit story purposes**
> 
> *sporatic updates*

Deep into a forest that locals have deemed unsafe, life flourishes amongst the brisk fall weather. Birds take flight to begin the long journey of migration while the mammals, spending the upcoming winter in hibernation, hunt and gather food for themselves and their offspring. And somewhere along a rocky cliff that watches over a roaring river with various boulders and towering trees, surrounding the bank’s edges, a single black coated wolf lays peacefully, content with watching the world play out in front of him and wondering about things. Things like, if there was more to life than what has been offered to him. Would the hand that has been dealt to the wolf be altered today or maybe tomorrow and the days that follow after? Thoughts as such chase around the creature's mind while he tilts its head back to let the peeking sun rays sink into his fur in satisfaction.

That is, until a smooth howl echoes throughout the miles and miles of wooded land.

The large and pointy ears atop the animal's head perk up and immediately he is on his feet racing to where the call had originated. Practiced paws beat down on uneven land, dodging fallen trunks, and jumping over unmoving stones; nothing dares to come between the wolf and his desired destination.

But somewhere close by, in a house hidden inside these woods, two young boys who were busy with their own daily activities, also freeze up from the sound of a distant howl. The two wait for further noises, but nothing is heard.

“Hyung, what was that?” The younger of the two asks shakily, auburn hair shifting with each hurried movement towards his brother.

The older simply brings his book down onto his lap and gazes out the nearest window, attempting to focus on the previous call. He has a sort of talent- a gift, if you may; Most creatures of their kind have an extra ability, special to each individual. For him it is the ability to hear noises from a great distance, that is if he can fully concentrate. “Someone’s stepped onto the territory and they’re checking it out.” He then looks towards his younger brother who is by now wide eyed and even more nervous than before.

“Are they dangerous?” He questions quietly while old memories of a traumatizing past began to filter into the young boy’s head.

“Can’t tell and they’re too far away to use the group bond to communicate, but I’m sure everything will be fine. They can handle this.”

~*~

He smells him before he sees the intruder.

The black wolf halts to a shuddering stop, hiding behind some brush, and taking cover before running straight into the scene in front of him.

The scene consists of the pack leader and head omega, crouched in a warning stance, and standing in front of the two is an unknown man clad in an outrageous amount of hunting gear, reeking of a certain flower.

The black wolf crouches down even further, ready to take action at any second. He gazes at the stranger and thinks about how this guy ruined his perfectly calm sunday afternoon.

_ “Chan hyung, he reeks of wolfsbane!”  _ The hidden wolf communicates through the pack’s bond, but remains in the brush, watching as the sturdy gray wolf, known as Bang Chan, huffs through his large snout.

_ “I know. Just stay back and keep calm, we’ll handle this. I don't want you to startle him and possibly fire that gun.”  _ He warns the young and hot tempered wolf before shifting, surprising the hunter in the process. The pack leader stands tall and authoritative, but also warm and inviting in a strange way due to the fact he was supposed to be anything  _ but _ with the role he possessed.

“Damn! Showing me your human form? A beast like you will be all over the news by tonight!”

The silvery hair atop the leaders head glimmers against the afternoon light as he tilts his head to the side, slightly taken aback by the boldness of the hunter.

The beige wolf, who has been silent throughout this entire ordeal, takes a warning step closer towards his mate and lets out a low growl. A protective nature raking through his nerves, constantly wanting to shield the one he loves the most.

Chan lifts his chin a bit higher and squints his hazel eyes once he successfully catches the foul man's gaze. “I’m warning you now, turn back and never return. You’re lucky enough you strolled into my pack's territory and not someone else's, because by now they would have already torn you to shreds. You and I both know this can go one of two ways, so make the right decision and we can  _ all  _ have a nice evening.”

The head alpha never breaks eye contact as the hunter tilts back his head in twisted laughter, thinking this entire situation is in his favor and not seeing the reality of it actually being the other way around.

_ “Chan, his finger’s now on the damn trigger and while you were busy making small talk he flipped the safety off!”  _ The beige wolf hastily reminds his mate and lets out another deep growl at the intruder.

Chan sends his mate comfort through their bond in hopes of calming him down, but keeps his eyes trained on the hunter.  _ “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got this, Woojin…”  _ He speaks once more through their bond, not wanting the outsider to listen in.

Suddenly the cackling, once resonating through the open forest, halts, and an unsettling silence now replaces it.

The head omega takes two more steps forward and bares his sharp teeth the second a gun is being lifted towards his lover. He's supposed to be the  _ ‘calmer’ _ one between the two, but that title drops completely when the younger appears to be in danger. The beige wolf bites the air in another attempt at a warning.

“That  _ thing _ your mate or something? Didn’t like me pointing the gun towards you.” The man nods his head towards a very pissed off Woojin which in turn causes even more irritation to build up in the leader’s system.

This guy can't be seriously strolling on up in a wolf’s territory, wearing a ridiculous amount of gear, and still be  _ this  _ cocky while surrounded by creatures that could easily bring him unimaginable harm.

Changbin guesses, this dude just clearly has a death wish.

Chan takes a deep breath, trying to control his inner wolf from pouncing on the man right then and there, because believe it or not his pack has a moral to only kill if absolutely necessary. “I'm warning you one last time.  _ Leave _ .” The leader announces, eerily calm.

The unknown man scoffs. “Enough of the bullshit. I know all about your kind and what you monsters are  _ really  _ like!” He then shifts his gaze to Chan's side, a wicked smirk beginning to form.

The gun’s barrel slowly moves down and over, switching targets to the beige wolf. “I only need one of you beasts anyways, so I guess we can make this quick and get rid of the mate-”

And before he even finishes, the sudden  _ bang _ of a gunshot rings throughout the pack's territory. The echoes reach a great distance, bouncing off of trees and surging through the once peaceful afternoon.

~*~

Back at the hidden house, the two brothers falter and panic begins to raise.

“Hyung!” The younger of the two stands from his seat on one of the couches and runs towards the front window where the sound of a gunshot was heard.

“W-wait…” The older brother tosses his book carelessly to the side, running up to stand beside the auburn haired boy. The younger begins to mutter nonsense about how the others could be in trouble, but this causes his sibling an inconvenience.

He places a careful hand over the youth's mouth. “Jeongin, please calm down, I can’t concentrate on their sounds-” He stops once a broken and wrecked noise resonates through the unforgiving woods. “Scream… there was a scream.” The brunette whispers out in shock at the blood curdling sound.

Jeongin's breath begins to speed up at the very real possibility of the scream coming from one of their hyungs. “Seungmin hyung… Whose was it?”

The older closes his eyes in an attempt to concentrate on anymore sounds that can clue him in on the situation at hand, but his efforts are fruitless. “I-I can’t tell.” He takes one look at his younger brother and the auburn haired boy stares back with a hint of challenge before making a beeline towards the front door, handle already twisting under his trembling hand.

But Seungmin is faster.

“You are  _ not  _ leaving this house until one of them comes back! We have no idea what’s happening out there, do you understand?” He turns Jeongin around by the shoulders and holds him out at arms length, searching the other's eyes wildly for a sort of confirmation. “I’m just as scared as you are, but remember what the plan-”

“Always wait for the second howl…” Jeongin finishes.

“That’s right, always wait for the second howl, never jump to conclusions. So we need to just stay put. Alright, Innie?” He guides the both of them back to one of the couches and once the younger has sat, Seungmin takes the liberty of closing the window and locking the front door.

~*~

“I’ll never get used to that.” The once hidden wolf spits out the foul tasting blood, coated in wolfsbane, out of his mouth- now that he's shifted back into his human form. “Fucking gross.” He growls once more, jet black hair falling into his eyes as he shakes his head, already beginning to feel the effects of the flower. He knows they'll have to ring for their close friend who is a doctor, giving his services to any packs who are in need of his assistance.

The head alpha also shifts back into his human form, swaying from one foot to the other, head swimming from the tainted hunter- if he could even be called that anymore. “Ugh,  _ that _ might not have been the best idea.” Chan brings a shaky hand to his temple and screws his eyes shut from the sudden dizziness.

“Channie! Are you okay?!” Woojin holds up his lover and glances over the younger’s face frantically, attempting to wipe away the crimson stains with his sweater covered wrist.

Clearly the dream team went a tad overboard, or maybe it was just the leader of the pack who went too far.

Once the gun had been set off Woojin sprung out of the line of fire, giving Chan the opening he needed to take the attacker down. While shifting mid air, the head alpha had landed right on top of the hunter and began the process of completely annihilating the man. Changbin took this as his cue and soon came out from the bushes, making quick of biting the hand holding the wretched weapon clean off. Woojin decided to stay a few paces back, acknowledging that the two alphas before him could handle the hunter on their own. He also didn’t want to come into contact with the wretched wolfsbane, knowing the immediate effects the flower has on his species.

“I’m fine, Wooj.” Chan blinks open his eyes to meet the dark brown orbs of his mate's worried pair. He then slings an arm over the olders broad shoulders and rebalances himself while Woojin takes the liberty of quickly wrapping an arm around the other's waist. “That guy was just covered in a bunch of that shitty flower. Are  _ you _ okay?” The wolf in question smiles lightly and nods his head before placing a reassuring peck on the younger's forehead- making sure the patch of skin was clean of any blood before doing so, of course.

Chan lifts his hand to graze the omega's face- grateful that Woojin had dodged the bullet that was shot at him. He leaves a soft kiss on the elder’s lips, just because he can, and because his inner wolf needed the reassurance that his mate is perfectly fine.

The leader then looks back over to where one of his pack members gags on seemingly nothing, as if he had just witnessed his own parents making out in front of him. “How about you, Changbin? You good?” He let's a quiet laugh slip out at the latter’s over dramatic reaction.

The younger rolls his eyes and lets out an affirmative hum before all three of them begin the trek back home, where two young brothers will be waiting for their return.

The two head wolves are slowly walking behind the smaller alpha when said wolf voices the thought he's had running through his head for the past couple of minutes. “Hey, Chan hyung? You didn’t really have to tear that hunter up like that. The dude doesn’t even  _ look  _ human anymore…” Changbin looks back at the couple, but continues walking.

In the past twenty years that he has known his leader and joined the pack, the smaller alpha has never seen the silver haired man react with so much animosity. Well maybe once or twice, but that was with groups of enemies and not just a single human being with the brain the size of a pea.

Chan tilts his head to the side and makes a face as if he was a confused puppy. The sight would be rather cute if Changbin didn't just witness his pack leader completely destroy a guy. This whole situation also might not have been too big of a deal if the hunter wasn't  _ drenched  _ in wolfsbane; the leader- and sadly Changbin as well- will definitely be coming down with a fever from being in such close contact with the plant.

“He threatened my Woojinnie, raised a gun at  _ both  _ of us, and even fired at my mate with the intention of killing him! How was I supposed to react?”

“To be fair, we did give him the chance to leave.” Woojin announces in a matter of fact, leaning his head onto his mate’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort the younger.

The dark haired wolf lets out a tired sigh and faces forward once he sees the grand house coming into view. “You’re right.”

The trio watches in mild amusement as two figures run out of the front doors of the pack's shared home and make their way towards the older three with haste.

Seungmin and Jeongin fuss over how they thought one of them was shot and in result caused the brothers to stress, their blood stained outfits not helping the frantic wolves in the slightest.

“I had to hold Innie back from running out of the house.” Seungmin grumbles out whilst hugging Chan a little tighter to convey just how shaken the brothers were. The older of the two weakly returns the gesture, but is grateful for the sudden attention nonetheless. Chan has always enjoyed his little family and it was times like this that made a smile grow fondly and his heart warm with affection. Sure, this wasn’t the most appropriate of settings since blood and violence had been involved, but he’d rather not think about that right now.

The head omega makes a sound of pity and throws his arms around the youngest wolf, scooping him up and swinging the auburn haired boy back and forth in a bear-like hug, while also explaining that he has nothing to worry about.

All five members slowly make their way back to the house, but Changbin halts his steps when a warm hand claps onto his shoulder.

The young wolf watches the head omega, Seungmin, and Jeongin continue on without noticing his disappearance. He turns to see their leader looking back at him with a mixture of determination and hopefulness.

“You’ll understand why I did what I did today when you find your mate, Changbin.” The bigger alpha gives Changbin a few comforting pats before guiding the both of them inside.

_ If I ever find my mate _ . The younger thinks bitterly to himself.

~*~

Lee Felix had no problem in admitting he was a little lost, he’s the type of person who will gladly ask for a bit of help, that's just how he is. At least, that's what the blonde thought about himself, and maybe he was beginning to doubt that very quality.

He squints at the school’s poorly printed map and schedule he had received from the front office attendant just a few minutes ago. Felix assumes the printer ink must be running low and also, his luck seems to be running a little thin today as well. The teen boy has found himself embarrassingly lost in his new school.

_ How cliche.  _ He thinks, sarcastically.

With a huff he looks around the hallway from where he's leaned up against the wall and out of the way of passing students. The blonde couldn't even tell what wing of the school he's currently standing in. He tugs nervously at the cuffs from the fresh uniform blazer that smells a little odd in his opinion; almost as if it was hung inside a sterile hospital room before the outfit was mailed to his new address.

_ Maybe I should have asked the office attendant for guidance so I could at least get to my first class- _

“Hello! I’m Hwang Hyunjin.”

Felix startles and his thoughts are cut short once a student-  _ Hyunjin, apparently _ \- is right in front of his confused face.

Hwang Hyunjin stands tall and welcoming, with a lopsided smile placed on his full lips. The dark haired boy, in Felix’s humble opinion, could definitely put a handful of models out of their jobs, and he also takes notice of the taller’s hands clasped behind his back, giving a very  _ un-intimidating _ appearance.

“Uhm, Lee Felix.”

Hyunjin lifts his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting that deep of a voice to come out of the boy in front of him. He quickly schools his expression and decides to not question it, simply because the new kid already looks a little nervous.

The blonde fiddles with the two papers in his hands for a sort of distraction from the obvious awkwardness that only  _ he  _ seems to be currently feeling.

Felix isn't intimidated per se, no, he's just conscious talking to unknown people; afraid of judgment for being different. Different because he clearly is not a native speaker and he definitely has an accent when speaking. Or different because of the constellation of freckles adoring his tanned face. Different because he's not even  _ from _ Korea.

Hyunjin let's out a distinctive laugh at how the shorter’s face seems to twist into an uncomfortable mold. “I'm not going to hurt you! You must be the new kid.”

“How did you-”

“Word travels fast. This school is  _ tiny _ .” Hyunjin smoothly states while glancing around the bustling hallway. The two of them are stood near one of the many windows lining the walls and the shorter of the two gets momentarily distracted by the filtering light reflecting off of Hyunjin’s three piercings along his left ear. Now, he doesn’t want to judge anyone by their appearance, but Felix can’t help but question if this Hyunjin guy is trustworthy.

Once Hyunjin’s words finally sink in, the blonde's doe eyes widen at the completely untrue statement. This school is anything  _ but  _ small.

Hyunjin let's another strange, yet somehow addictive giggle slip out at Felix's facial expression, a dangling piercing caressing the side of the laughing boy’s cheek in the process. “I'm just kidding, you looked a little lost and I wanted to help. Where are you heading?” The blonde lets out a tentative sigh and gives Hyunjin his schedule, feeling grateful for the help nonetheless.

With a nod of his head, the brunette throws a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll take you!”

Turns out Felix was _definitely_ _not_ in the correct wing for his first class, he notices once the two have walked all the way to the other side of the school.

Once the blonde has shaken off the last bit of awkwardness, he looks curiously at the tall boy beside him, noticing his name tag and grade level on his uniform. “Should I call you hyung?” He knows it's probably a silly question since both of them were most likely born the same year, but he knows that some people can be sensitive with formal speech.

“What month were you born?” 

“September.”

Hyunjin turns his head to give Felix an excited smile. “I’m only six months older. If you want to you can, either way is fine with me. Most people just drop the formalities if they’re born in the same year.” The blonde nodded his head and stores the information for later use.

The younger's little ice breaker of sorts seemed to give Hyunjin the go-ahead into getting to know Felix a bit better, because the next thing to happen is Hyunjin speaking hurriedly in semi broken, semi accurate English. “Someone told me you’re from Australia, that’s like  _ super cool _ ! I’ve always wanted to visit. I actually spent some time in Las Vegas when I was a kid!”

“You speak pretty good English,” Felix looks shocked, nonetheless. “but I’m really supposed to be speaking Korean. I’m still a little rusty.” The blonde reaches a hand up towards his heating neck in an embarrassed manner, but the taller boy doesn't even seem remotely bothered. Hyunjin continues walking, same little smile permanently etched onto his facial features.

“Yeah we can do plain old Korean, that's fine with me! Although, you do have a slight accent.” He states offhandedly.

Once the two have reached the  _ correct  _ room, Hyunjin turns to bid Felix farewell, but stops short when a sudden idea pops into his head. “Wanna sit with me and my friend at lunch? He’s a third year, but he is really chill.”

“Yeah that’ll be nice, thanks for showing me to my class, by the way.” Felix adds in with a little more confidence, coming to the conclusion that Hwang Hyunjin is a pretty nice guy, piercings be damned.

Said student waves him off, as if helping the kid was no big deal to begin with. “No problem, it's always nice to make a new friend, don't you think? I’ll see you later!” He shoots a parting smile and hurries off towards his first class just a few doors down.

For the rest of the morning, Felix goes through many introductions to not only all of the other students in his next two classes, but also to his teachers that seem very kind in his opinion, being patient and helping the foreign boy out when a fumble in his speech would pop up every now and then. The peers in his classes had also found the new boy interesting, to the point of wanting to try and communicate through broken english themselves, attempting to befriend him.

Felix appreciates all of it and finally begins to relax, wondering why he was so nervous in the first place.

~*~

Once the bell for lunch finally chimes throughout the schools speakers, the blonde just couldn’t contain his excitement, wanting to meet up with Hyunjin as fast as possible to express how his first three classes had gone. And also wanting to thank the taller  _ once again _ , for helping him find his way earlier- possibly helping him poke out of his shell a little in the process and realizing that maybe his new school isn’t as terrifying as he was expecting it to be.

Felix overhears a couple of second years talking about heading towards the cafeteria and decides to follow behind the boys, hoping they lead him in the right direction, but he only gets down a flight of stairs before an arm wraps itself around his shoulder, successfully making the blonde jolt at the sudden contact.

“Hiya!”

“Jesus- You scared me, Hyunjin!” The smaller knocks his fist repeatedly onto the giggling boy’s chest until the latter retracts his arm completely, laughter becoming louder with every passing second. Nearby students make side glances at the rowdy two, but soon ignore them- too occupied with the promise of a lunch break or being engrossed in their own conversations.

Once both of the second year boys have acquired their lunch, Felix follows closely behind Hyunjin until they reach a table near the back of the large cafeteria. That’s when Felix notices the lone boy already sitting down and eating.

“Hyung, this is Lee Felix.” Hyunjin announces happily, sitting his tray and bag down before taking a seat across the older boy. “He’s the guy who moved from Australia!”

“Nice to meet you, Felix. I’m Lee Minho.”

Lee Minho, in Felix’s opinion, is quite handsome. The third year has delicate facial features, long lashes, and dark eyes that can almost be considered doe-like if he were to possibly make a surprised expression. He has chocolate colored hair that is styled into natural waves and a long nose that seems to pull his entire face together.

The third year looks towards Felix expectantly, watching him as he sits down, and raises his brows in interest. “So, what brings you here all the way from Australia.” He questions curiously.

The boy in question bites his bottom lip and looks down to fiddle with his hands, debating on relaying the story. The third year looks towards Hyunjin as if to silently ask if that was an inappropriate question, which the other only replies to by shrugging his shoulders.

Felix clears his throat before timidly speaking. “Erm, m-my parents passed away and my grandmother took custody, to make a long story short.”

A tiny gasp comes from Hyunjin and Minho stares down the young boy in front of him in pity, because he understands what it’s like to lose your parents. He knows it all too well, but the third year decides to keep that information to himself, not wanting to make this conversation about himself.

“Oh, dude I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright. Time has passed since their accident- two years now and I’ve come to accept it.”

“Still. That’s pretty hard.”

The blonde gives both of the upset boys a light smile, to ease the darkened mood. “I’ll be fine, plus my grandma is already doing a hell of a lot better than my aunt and uncle ever did. They were never there to really look after me.”

After reassuring the two a few more times that Felix is in fact okay, the trio resumes their eating and start on lighter conversation topics, like how Minho and Hyunjin became friends- the two apparently attended the same middle school and became inseparable ever since. Felix is listening intently to a dramatic retelling of how Minho once tried out for the baseball team, but is cut short once the blonde feels his eyes move of their own accord and glance around the cafeteria.

At the same moment the sound of student’s whispers and bold conversations seem to grow louder, whilst multiple students begin to move around and look towards a pair of double doors leading outside.

“What’s everyone making a fuss about?” Felix questions while continuing to see what everyone- including himself- seems to be drawn to.

Minho makes a hum of acknowledgement and tilts his head to look past Felix, where the boy has now turned around in his seat. “Oh, he must be back.” The older lightly states, as if he was talking about the weather.

“I thought he was never gonna come back! He was gone for, like, a week.” Hyunjin announces in disbelief and at this point Felix is beyond curious with eyes continuing to search past the moving bodies.

Minho shakes his head and lets a tiny laugh slip out at his best friend’s reaction. “Well, he was sick, you dumbass.”

The young blonde watches carefully as the students begin to one by one move away and back to their previous seats, although still discussing loudly about the newcomer. And after a couple more students move back, Felix finally sees what everyone has been conversing about.

As if happening in slow motion, a boy who looks slightly older than himself swiftly walks through the threshold and inside- the wall of windows dripping a warm glow of light down onto the guy- while carrying a book in one hand and holding onto his backpack strap, slung loosely over his built shoulders, in the other. His heart quickens as he notices specific features of the boy (well, what Felix can notice from across the cafeteria), like how he has hair as dark as night and a facial structure that could have been deemed gorgeous if he lived back in Felix's home country of Australia. Or how the black haired boy carries himself with a scary amount of mystery.

While the newcomer sits down at a deserted table, moving like every single move is precisely calculated, Felix can't help but think about how the guy has an alluring aura about him and the blonde can absolutely not take his curious eyes away- afraid to even blink, too scared that he will disappear. “Who is that?” Felix barely mumbles out.

“That, my new friend, is Seo Changbin.” Hyunjin answers while patting the blonde on the back a couple of times and successfully breaking whatever trace the latter was previously under. Everything begins to play back in real time instead of the fantasy-like slow motion.

The blonde decides to test the name out, but just quietly, not wanting to gather the boy’s attention or anything. “Seo Changbin…”

Felix then hastily turns back around once he notices Changbin lifting his head from whatever he was reading and looking around the cafeteria. The blonde quickly brings his attention back to his two new friends, both with smirks adorning their faces.

“Yep. School’s resident superstar and biggest mystery.” Minho states cooly. “He’s a third year and  _ so  _ painfully closed off.”

Beside him, Hyunjin lets out a frustrated whine. “Ugh! I just wanna crack him open like a damn clam and ask him what the heck his deal is!” Felix looks at the two, bewildered by the effect this one student seems to have on everyone. He takes his phone out in hopes of looking through his facebook-  _ totally not stalking him _ \- but his efforts are cut short once Hyunjin reaches over and places his hand above the screen, successfully blocking Felix's view. “Oh, don't even bother with looking for his social media, there's nothing to find.”

The blonde then brings his head back up and looks at both Hyunjin and Minho, to notice any signs of this whole thing being some sort of cosmic joke, but to his surprise, both of them seem to be quite serious.

“I have him in one of my classes and the dude is  _ crazy  _ smart- almost like he’s  _ been  _ through high school before-, but he only talks if it’s about an assignment or to answer questions when the teacher calls on him.” Minho states while observing an apple in mild interest. “He moved here, like, a year ago.” He then takes a bite of the fruit and promptly offers it to Hyunjin who is a little too eager to accept the apple, seeing as how the second year already has quite a bit on his tray; but who is Felix to judge the older’s eating habits.

Felix feels another pull, like the one that happened just moments ago, an invisible magnetic force that makes him drawn to the mysterious boy. He slowly turns his head back around and watches as Changbin’s face twists into an unreadable mold and back into one that can only be described as a ‘ _ far off stare _ ’. Felix watches on for a moment or two, noticing that the older has a book clutched in both hands, but looks like he’s doing anything  _ but _ reading.

“He looks so… out of it.” The young blonde states outloud, not really expecting a response, just stating his opinion.

Beside him, Hyunjin lets out an unattractive snort. “Nah, that’s just his resting bitch face-”

“Now that you say it, he does look a little off today, which is weird because he never shows emotion.” The third year cuts him off, to agree with Felix.

“So you guys know  _ nothing  _ about him?”

“Well, technically only a little. What we do know is that he’s smart, doesn't have any interest in making friends, and he always turns people away. No one knows what he does outside of school.” The third year shrugs his shoulders and gives the blonde and apologetic look. “His parents have only came here once and that was to approve some class changes- oh!” Minho snaps his fingers in realization, making Hyunjin jump a little from the sudden eagerness. “He has two dads. So I guess that means he’s adopted.”

“Two dads?”

“Yeah! And they’re  _ super  _ young, maybe in their late twenties, early thirties- at least that’s what I’ve heard from the rumors. I’ve never seen them myself.”

“Does he get bullied for having two dads?” Felix asks innocently.

Across from him, Minho scoffs in disbelief. “Bullied?! The dude literally looks like he could kill with the snap of his fingers!”

Hyunjin nods his head in agreement and adds in “Like Thanos…”

The two boys continue their banter back and forth about some superhero movies, but Felix zones out of the conversation, finding the third year boy across the cafeteria to be more luring.

~*~

Felix spends the rest of his day thinking and wondering about Seo Changbin, because you see, Felix wouldn't call it love at first sight, but it's  _ something. _ It's something that the younger doesn't completely understand and in that moment of even acknowledging Seo Changbin, he becomes curious. Felix becomes intrigued and just oh so curious.

The blonde walks into the little village that his grandmother and many other elders reside in. He passes up a few people, greeting them with a shy wave and a bow of respect before heading inside the tiny house that he now calls home.

It isn't much; two small rooms with enough space for a fold out futon and a desk. A shared bathroom and kitchen, with a cozy living room where his grandmother spends most of her time; she enjoys the fresh air that comes through the big sliding doors leading outside.

Felix glides past the few boxes he has yet to unpack, with dull interest. He  _ knows _ he needs to unpack them, but that also means that this is permanent, that this house is his  _ home _ . And sure he says in passing that this is his home, but even in the past week since he's arrived, Felix feels that it just isn't quite right.

Don't get him wrong, it's eons better than when he had lived with his aunt and uncle, but he has this gut feeling that this can't be it. That there must be  _ something  _ more.

Or maybe, Felix ponders, maybe it's that he is actually scared to settle into a new place, just for it to be ripped apart and turned upside down in some form or way.

Felix places his school bag down onto his desk and unfolds his futon, promptly laying down onto the comfortable bed. He's sleepy from all that the new school had to offer and exhausted from all the weird feelings Changbin has made him feel.

“Uuuhhgg!” The blonde lets a defeated groan slip out and drags his hands down his face.

~*~

Changbin lets out a long and tired sigh before unlocking his front door and entering the shared pack house. He thought the long walk back home would help him relax and while it did help  _ some _ , the young wolf still felt a bit on edge.

Today was unbelievably weird for him. First it started out with a pile of assignments that the wolf had missed due to being out sick for a week- curse that fucking hunter for covering his body in fucking wolfsbane! Then the day had escalated from bad to worse once he found himself feeling nauseated and confused by his inner wolf’s uncharacteristic behavior. The second Changbin had entered the school’s bustling cafeteria, he felt as if his entire body was beginning to betray him. This feeling worsened throughout the whole day, only ceasing once he had left the school grounds.

Woojin looks up from where he is sat on one of the couches, with a freshly washed Jeongin sitting on the floor between the olders legs, brushing the younger’s hair happily away. “Hey! How was-”

Changbin raises a hand, signaling for the head omega not to ask how his day went. Woojin makes a face of confusion, pausing his current actions, and waiting for the young alpha to continue. “Hyung, I need to switch schools.” 

“What? Why? Did something happen?” Woojin’s eyebrows shoot up comically and Changbin would have laughed at the olders distress, but his head hurts too much for such an action. “You know we can’t do that…” Woojin’s face then melts into an apologetic mold and resumes his previous actions of combing out Jeongin’s hair.

Changbin knows all too well that he can not leave his current school, due to the financial situation his pack is under. The house they now reside in costs a bit more than Chan would have liked, but Woojin insisted on buying the larger home with extra rooms, explaining how he believes they’ll eventually need the extra space one day. And everyone in the pack knows how whipped a certain Bang Chan is for his mate.

You see, wolf real estate is a tricky thing. Their pack wanted to move back to their original house that they had, deciding that its it's time to finally choose a place to permanently stay. But luck wasn't on the boys side since the territory had been claimed by a new pack. This left very little options, which helped(worsend) the current situation Changbin is facing.

So now Changbin is stuck at a school, that they have yet to pay off the tuition for, because most of their savings have been thrown at their immaculate house.

“There was this smell and this  _ energy _ that I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from all damn day, my inner wolf was freaking out the entire time.” The young alpha makes his way to one of the arm chairs and plops himself down with a huff, causing the maknae to giggle at his hardships. “Had to calm myself down in the bathroom  _ three  _ times.”

Woojin hums in acknowledgment and looks off onto nothing particular, in thought. “That is strange…”

“Changbin hyung, are you okay?” Jeongin asks innocently, head moving along with the comb’s strokes.

“I’ll be fine, Jeongin. Hyung is just really tired ” Changbin lets a small smile slip, but it quickly turns sour once a burning smell wafts into the living room. The young alpha looks to the other two wolves in the room in silent questioning, but the two seem completely unaffected. “What the  _ hell  _ is that smell?”

“Channie is trying to cook a new recipe with Seungmin. Emphasis on  _ trying _ , but he insisted on preparing it. He’s just excited since we got a call from Jisung today. He said that he’ll be back soon.”

Changbin perks up at the young omega’s name. “Oh, well it took him long enough! When is  _ ‘soon’ _ ?”

The hyperactive wolf has been gone for almost two months now, out on a business run. Jisung is their packs ‘Information Gatherer’ to put it simply; The omega is like a spokesman and record keeper for the pack. He goes out once a year to all of the nearby packs and scouts them out, gathering and sharing information. His special ability definitely helps in this line of work; Photographic Memory.

“Could be tonight, two days from now, maybe a week; He didn’t really specify, but he said everything went smoothly. Well, after his  _ little accident _ , everything went smoothly.” Woojin’s face shifts to an uncomfortable look.

“Ow! Hyung!”

The head omega quickly shakes out of his wandering thoughts and begins to soothe the younger’s tender scalp in apology. “Sorry, Innie. That was a big tangle.”

“No new packs or members?” Changbin questions timidly.

New packs and members means new wolves for Changbin to greet and possibly make a connection with. Being the age he is, Changbin is considered too old for not having a mate. The average wolf is supposed to at least imprint by the age of 35 and here he is, 46 and mateless.

“None.”

The alpha nods his head in understanding, but still remains upset about the information nonetheless.

“I’m sure you’ll find your mate soon, just wait a bit longer. Fate knows what it’s doing, plus things like this always happen when you least expect it.”

“How was your day, Innie?” Changbin decides to lighten the mood by asking the angel of the pack himself about his day.

The boy in question smiles widely at the older and happily replies. “I helped out a little in the green house and then Woojin hyung and I went hunting! We caught a  _ massive _ deer!”

“Yeah and it seems like Chan hyung and Seungmin are destroying it by now…” Changbin mutters under his breath.

Suddenly a fluffy head of silver hair pops out of the kitchen swing door. “Hey! I can hear you, this house isn’t  _ that big! _ ”

“Yeah, but you’re, like, super old.” The younger alpha states mockingly while making bored eye contact with the leader. Said leader squints his eyes in a playful challenge before charging at a now panicked Changbin. The black wolf quickly bolts out of the comfort of the armchair and shifts, successfully becoming more agile in this form than the previous.

“ _ Yah _ , you little brat! Get back here!” Chan procedess to ignore his mate’s complaints of ‘ _ Stop rough housing while indoors. _ ’ and ‘ _ Quit stepping on the damn furniture _ .’

The head omega throws his hands in the air in defeat. “Jesus, Changbin- No shifting in the house!”

_ “I’ll stop shifting in the house once Seungmin joins me in a personal hell I like to call ‘high school’. It's not fair that I have to be there by myself.”  _ The now playful wolf communicates through the pack bond and makes direct eye contact with Seungmin, who is now leaned up against the doorframe leading into the kitchen.

The wolf in question rolls his eyes and moves away from the doorframe to sit on the carpeted floor beside his brother. “I’m not ready to go back.”

“It’s a different town and different people, I’m sure this one is  _ nothing  _ like the last one.” Jeongin places a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder and draws small reassuring circles. He remembers just how bad the last school his brother had gone to was. Of course Jeongin himself didn’t go, but he would watch as his older brother came home everyday utterly miserable. Eventually when the young wolf found out why this was happening, he couldn’t even begin to understand how his hyung managed to complete the school year.

“I don’t know, Innie.” He adds tentatively.

“Well, Jisungie said he would enroll once he came back. So you’ll have him to keep you company then, Changbin.”

Changbin finally shifts back and makes his way towards the comfort of the armchair he was previously sat in and lets out a long groan in response to what nonsense Woojin decided to spill. “No offense hyung, but having Jisung keeping me company is like saying a five year old on an endless sugar rush is going to keep me company. You and I both know that feral child was just saying sweet nothings for a reaction.”

Despite the ill sounding words, everyone in the room can hear the underlying fondness the dark wolf had used while stating his opinion.

Chan shakes his head and lets out a huff before sitting beside Woojin and snuggling up to the man’s shoulder. The latter simply smiles and snakes an arm around the leaders waist in a comforting manner. “God if he was here to listen to you, I can't even imagine the fighting or the  _ mess _ .”


	2. Into The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and the boys head into the FoRbIdDeN forest.
> 
> Also, there's hefty amounts of Woochan bc I couldn't help myself, I love them so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE KUDOS AND COMMENTS~~ I can't belive how much attention this story is getting ;_; I thought MAYBE I'll get like 100 hits, but NOPE! So thank you all! :D
> 
> Warning, there's lots of dialogue in this chapter! Also Jisung will not be showing up until chapter 4 so please bear with me here~ It'll be worth the wait!

' _Why are you looking so frustrated today, Seo Changbin?_ ’ Felix ponders to himself as he once again watches the older boy from across the cafeteria in curiosity. Changbin rakes a shaky hand through his dark locks for the millionth time in the past 20 minutes and the blonde can’t help but feel concerned by the third year’s behavior. He also wonders what the older boy would look like if he had a smile on his face instead of the constant troubled look he's only ever seen him wear.

Beautiful. Felix thinks the older would look beautiful-

“Hey, are you listening?”

Minho waves a hand in front of Felix’s face in a last ditch attempt at getting the younger's attention, who seems to be caught up with a certain figure from across the room.

“Oh, uh-” Felix shakes his head trying to get the previous thoughts he had of the third year out of his mind, but that doesn't do shit for the creeping blush along the young boy’s neck and ears. “Sorry, what did you say, Minho hyung?” He questions with an embarrassed smile.

Hyunjin, who was too busy copying another student's homework for a class he has in less than 30 minutes, finally lifts his eyes from the notebook and gauges the conversation that’s currently taking place across from him. Normally Felix’s spot was beside the other second year, but the younger had expressed how cold he was today from the dropping temperatures here in Korea. Minho being unnaturally warm for a human- _which no one ever questions_ \- offered the younger the spot beside him. Leaving Hyunjin with an entire side of the table for himself, he felt a little lonely due to the fact he’s come accustomed to the younger sitting next to him.

He puts Felix’s pink blush in one hand and Minho’s expression in the other and comes to the conclusion; Seo Changbin. “Dude!” He finally puts down his pen, giving up on finishing this assignment in the short time the boy has and giving up on also keeping his mouth shut any longer about the transfer student’s _obvious_ infatuation with the third year star. “Are you _that_ interested in him?”

It’s only Thursday, four days after Felix has started his new life here and for the life of him, he can not fucking understand why this one guy affects him the way he does. It’s one thing to have a crush- which is what the blonde originally thought this whole thing with Changbin was- but it’s a completely different thing when you have the thoughts, feelings, and pull towards a boy you’ve never even spoken to, let alone been closer than 20 meters to. So believe it when Felix says that he _knows_ something is not right. He’ll be damned if he states such a matter to the two boys in front of him.

The young blonde looks towards Hyunjin in mild surprise. “I-interested?” The older promptly nods his head to signal the boy to continue. “Uhm, Changbin _is_ kinda cute.”

“I think he meant like- you know what? Nevermind. You’re so pure.” Minho shakes his head at the angel of a boy sat beside him and goes back to eating his lunch, deciding that Felix is a lost cause on this one. However, he catches his best friend’s stare- the lanky boy having a mischievous glint in his eyes never amounted to anything good.

The third year gets ready for impact and to possibly break up a petty little fight that’s about to erupt between his two friends.

Hyunjin clears his throat and packs up the remaining papers scattered around the table. “So you think he’s cute~” He sing-songs while smirking towards a reddening Felix. “Maybe _you_ might have a chance to get through to him! You’re like a little ray of sunshine and he’s like the dark side of the moon! They do say opposites attract- Oh! And your freckles stand out, he might find _them cute~_ ”

Minho lets out a tired sigh, knowing this situation would happen. The three of them have become impossibly close in the past four days, Felix fitting into the little group perfectly.

The blonde squints challengingly after his initial embarrassment wears off. “Fuck off.” He grinds out in a deep voice, attempting to be threatening and honestly, Minho himself decides to scoot a few inches further from the boy beside him.

But it's old news that there is something deeply wrong with Hyunjin, so it comes to no one's surprise with what happens next.

The latter only throws his head back in contagious laughter, causing Felix to give up whatever front he previously had, deciding there’s no use and he should just live up to whatever feelings he has for a certain- Seo Changbin. “Oh. Ho. Ho. _Feisty_.”

Felix lays his forehead down onto the gray table and groans, letting Hyunjin know that he's won this round of, ‘ _let's see how flustered I can make you_ ’.

Minho simply let's a giggle slip past his lips and pats the smaller boy a couple of times on the back in an attempt at comforting him. “He is quite a mystery, I don’t blame you.” He states encouragingly. “Hey. Someone said they saw his parents come back in here yesterday.”

At this Felix lifts his head up a little to catch the third year’s excited gaze. The latter simply nods his head.

“Did they say why, hyung?” Hyunjin ponders aloud while also pulling out his phone, only half as interested in the conversation, unlike the blonde boy in front of him.

Minho waves a hand in front of him to dismiss Hyunjin’s question, “Nah” but doesn’t miss the way Felix deflates a little at the loss of further information.

“Oh, well. Did you do your Biology homework, Felix?”

The blonde nods his head and Hyunjin begins on a topic of how screwed he's going to be if he doesn't turn in said homework, but Felix is barely listening. His eyes travel back towards Changbin one last time before he offers up to help a chaotic sounding Hyunjin. Lord knows that boy will stress himself to death.

~*~

The last bell of the day rings throughout the high school, alerting the students and employees who work there that it is time to head home for the day.

Felix gathers his things and tosses a parting wave towards his teacher before heading out the door where many students and lingering staff members reside. He takes a deep breath before turning his head to the side where he notices a head of familiar black hair turn down another hallway.

Felix bites his bottom lip, in thought. 

He _knows_ he shouldn’t, but the blonde just wants to know where the older boy goes after school, so, very slowly and carefully, Felix follows Seo Changbin out of the school building and down the bustling afternoon streets. The blonde hugs his coat tighter across his chest and follows a few paces behind, making sure to keep some distance between the two of them.

 _What the hell am I even doing? This has got to be borderline stalking at this point!_ He thinks exasperatedly while waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green.

The further Felix follows the mysterious boy the less crowded and busy their destination gets, which should be alarming to the second year, because what if Changbin _knows_ he’s following him and this is just a plot to get Felix alone to kill him?! It’s highly unlikely, but the blonde thinks about all the possibilities anyways.

One minute Felix is reading out a text from Hyunjin, asking about his whereabouts, (which he responds by simply sharing his location through imessage) and the next he’s looking up from his phone to keep track of Changbin, only to realize his figure is nowhere to be found. The young blonde lets out a sigh and gauges his surroundings.

He’s far, like, _couldn't even tell you where he is_ , far. The only real sort of clue of where he currently resides is a giant welcome sign to a local forest. The sign itself is quite old and worn as if it hasn’t been touched for some time. The colors are almost completely faded and lengthy vines crawl up the metal like on an overgrown greenhouse.

Felix rakes a chilled hand through his blonde locks and gets ready to turn around and attempt to find his way back home before his grandmother realizes he should have been home thirty minutes ago, but he stops mid turn. The same force that Felix felt when he first laid eyes on Changbin, back in the cafeteria, begins to occur. The pull itself isn’t scary in any way, it’s warm and inviting like the feeling you get when you settle down in a cozy bed or lay out in the sun on an early summer day.

So in a trance like state, the second year turns back around and begins walking towards the treeline entrance to the forest.

“Felix?” 

“LEE _FELIX!_ ” A scream and a hand on his shoulder jerking him back out of the forest, pulls the younger second year mentally out of his trance. And just like that, the pull that was once there is completely gone, leaving Felix feeling a little bit empty if he was being honest with himself. “Dude, don’t ever go near here again!” Minho shakes the boys shoulders, where his hands are still gripped onto, in emphasis on his request. He stares in confusion until he remembers that he sent his location to Hyunjin.

Before him, Minho and Hyunjin stand worriedly- huffing out puffs of breath like they had ran all the way here and the older of the two looking close to shedding actual tears. Felix feels instantly guilty.

“Yeah, I thought we lost you for a second! You didn’t hear us calling your name?” Hyunjin whines out, still trying to catch his breath, while bending over to place his hands onto his knees in relief.

“No… Sorry I was just curious-”

“Well you better get _un-curious_ . People go into those woods and _never_ come back out. _Ever_.” 

Felix thinks back to when he lost sight of Changbin, there’s nowhere else he could have gone other than this forest and he’s not sure if he should be more intrigued or worried at this point.

Judging by Minho’s reaction, he’ll take the latter.

The taller second year looks Felix dead in the eyes after recovering from the run here. “There’s a legend saying that this very forest is crawling with _kumihos_.”

“W-what’s that?”

“It’s a nine-tailed fox spirit that _eats_ people's livers.” Hyunjin shivers just talking about the scary creatures.

“Like… in Naruto?” Felix questions innocently, remembering the anime he watched back home as a kid.

Minho lets out a tired sigh and clicks his tongue in annoyance. “No you dumbass, not kumihos. _Werewolves_.”

“Werewolves?! But hyung, those are mythical creatures, they don’t exist.”

“Tell that to all the missing people reports.” The third year adds in quietly before shaking his head and leveling Felix with a light, yet firm, stare. “Look we’re just saying, don’t go into those woods, okay?”

 _But I need to… I have to._ But then again, the amount of emotion coming from the boy in front of him makes Felix second guess himself completely.

“Okay, hyung.”

~*~

The second Changbin returns home he tosses his school bag near the front entrance and stalks into the kitchen where light talking between the two head wolves can be heard. He sits down at the table and waits for his hyungs to finish their conversation. “Chan hyung? I think we need to call Youngjae hyung…” The younger alpha states tentatively, which is very uncharacteristic of the wolf, but Chan has no time to worry about that. Right now one of his members is in pain and he will not let this slide on for any longer.

“Are you still not feeling well?” Chan asks with knitted brows. “You barely interacted with the hunter that had all the wolfsbane” He leans over the table to where Changbin is seated and places his hand against the youngers forehead. “And you don't have a fever anymore.”

“You told me you kept smelling something at school and your wolf didn’t cooperate. Is that what is going on?” Woojin lightly asks, while Chan looks to him as if he kept a secret that was most likely meant to be shared with him days ago.

“Yeah.” Changbin fiddles with his fingers nervously, scared of whatever is going on with him.

 _“Do you think it's what I think it is?”_ Chan questions his lover through their bond, excluding the third party listener completely.

Woojin looks towards the alpha with lifted brows, ignoring the annoyed look on Changbin’s face. _“It's hard to tell Channie…but it's possible.”_

“Can you both stop talking about me through your bond! You know I hate when you two do that.”

Both wolves halt their conversation and look towards the younger expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

“That’s not all, today the smell lingered all the way up until I got to the forest entrance. Normally it stops once I leave school, but that wasn't the case. Seriously though, I think we should call Youngjae hyung. I'm scared that I'll be at school and my inner wolf will just _pop_ out and then I'll _really_ be screwed.”

“About that…”

Changbin squints his eyes. “What?”

“Him and Jaebum hyung are in England right now.”

“The hell are they all the way in _England_ for?!”

Youngjae, who has the ability of healing and the proud owner of _many_ medical degrees, is a member of a nearby pack that goes by the name Got7. Chan has been good friends with all of the members for years, knowing them since he was a little pup. The alpha was even offered a spot in said pack at one point, but due to his leader abilities and status that he was born with, it would have been too difficult. The head alpha of Got7, Jaebum, and him do not have any bad blood however- the two of them just wanting a family, a pack, of their own- and they respect each other’s decision. Both packs regularly hangout and invite the others for barbeque on each other's territory along with many other neighboring packs.

“Its their 80th anniversary and they wanted to make it special- kinda romantic if you ask me.” Chan looks beside him where Woojin quietly sips on some tea that Chan had made for the two of them. “Where should we go for our 60th, Woojinnie~” The younger coos lightly while fluttering his eyes dramatically.

“Ugh, _hyungs_ , I'm trying to be serious and you both are being super gross.” Changbin lets out a sigh while rubbing both of his temples. “You know, people at school think the two of you are my _dads_ every time you come in.” He mostly says under his breath, but the two hear him anyways.

Woojin places his mug gently onto the table and looks towards Changbin with a face that practically screams _‘Duh’_ . “Well, _technically_ we have to sign as your legal guardians, so…”

With his headache growing tenfold, Changbin decides he would rather spend the rest of his afternoon lying near a certain cliff that looks out across the neighboring river. “Whatever. I'm going out.”

“Be back to eat dinner with everyone!” Woojin calls out happily, while watching the young alpha sluggishly make his way out the front door.

“They think we're his dads?” Chan questions and tilts his head in thought. “We don't even look that old!”

“For an 89 year old, I think you're looking pretty good.” Woojin practically purs out.

“T-thank you.”

“I love that you're still bashful after all these years~” The omega sips more of his tea, as if he’s not destroying Chan’s insides with the sudden compliments. “It's cute.”

Well if that’s how Woojin was going to be, then two can play at that game. The leader leans over and brushes his nose against his mate’s lovingly, surprising the older in the process. “You're cute.”

“And _I_ think it's _super_ cute that I can't even get a glass of water without being reminded how painfully single I am!” A very annoyed Seungmin retorts while walking back up the stairs with a cup of water gripped into one hand.

“ _Hyung, that's nobody's fault but your own! You never leave the house!_ ” Jeongin yells from somewhere in the house (Woojin recalls the younger saying he was going to take a bath, moments before Changbin had arrived home.) and Chan has to mentally stop himself from laughing at the younger’s boldness.

Woojin, on the other hand, watches carefully as Seungmin stops midstep and squints his eyes up the stairs and calmly walks back down, placing his cup on a nearby table. “Don't.” The head omega warns, knowing exactly what’s about to go down. “Seungmin, I swear to all the gods that if you so much as shift a single claw-” 

And he does just that. The young omega shifts into his wolf form, a beautiful fur coat of brown mixed in with gray, and runs upstairs where Jeongin is most likely washing up for the night.

The two head wolves hear a distant yell of _‘Ew_ , _get out of here, hyung!_ ’ followed by a scream.

“You're the one who said that you wanted kids.” Chan states tiredly, getting up and heading towards the fridge, where he looks for things he can possibly cook for dinner. He feels Woojin coming up behind him and snaking his long arms around Chan’s middle, hooking his chin over the younger’s shoulder for good measure. Chan smiles lightly, reveling in the warmth of the omega and the feeling of the older’s steady heart beat against his back.

“I did, but I wouldn’t have it any other way and I know you wouldn't either.”

And he’s right.

~*~

It's the following day, Friday, when Felix comes up with a plan.

The blonde sits down at the lunch table he’s come accustomed to and waits patiently for the two other boys to arrive. He greets the first one to sit down, Hyunjin, and promptly notices Minho get in line for his own lunch. The younger makes quick of his plans and sets the first step into motion, while he has Hyunjin alone. “I need you to do something kind of stupid-”

“Oh God, I love this already!” Hyunjin cuts him off, excitement laced throughout. “What do you need?” The ecstatic second year leans forward, lunch tray of food now forgotten and brings his full attention to the blonde.

Felix snorts unattractively. “Why am I not surprised? Anyways, I want to go into the forest, but I don't think I'll be able to do it alone.” He states carefully.

Hyunjin lets out a sigh and practically slumps in his seat. “Alright, I'm willing to do some pretty fucked up shit- don't get me wrong- but _that_ , I will not do.” He states in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

“Something is telling me that I _have_ to go! Please!” He practically begs Hyunjin. Felix knows that he can’t do this by himself. He doesn't know the area that well, he might get lost and they say it's also better to get lost with another person, _and_ he has this gut feeling that he’s not supposed to go just by himself.

“Felix, were you even listening to what Minho hyung and I were saying? There are legends about _werewolves_ and people never coming back out!” Hyunjin whisper yelled, trying not to gain anymore attention of the students currently eyeballing them from the table over.

From the corner of his peripheral vision, Felix catches sight of Minho coming out of the meal line and heading towards their little spot, so he decides to cut the conversation short. But the blonde boy is definitely a stubborn one. He huffs out an annoyed sigh. “Fine. If you won't go with me, then I'll just go by myself.”

“You won't do it.” The taller second year scoffs at the boldness of Felix’s statement, but if he was being honest, the younger looked like he was anything but joking about the situation.

~*~

“ _You're absolutely insane_!”

Felix lets out a huff at Minho’s dramatic reaction.

“See, I _told_ you he would do it, hyung! I told you he would go to the woods!” Hyunjin explains whilst waving an accusing finger towards a very unamused Felix.

“You're the one who said I _wouldn't_ , Hyunjin.” He retorts back dryly, folding over his arms in judgement and also because the temperature seemed to drop in the past couple of minutes of simply standing here.

Hyunjin huffs and rolls his eyes at the stubborn Australian boy.

The blonde knew his two friends would show up eventually, because if there’s one thing Felix has gathered from getting to know Hyunjin, it’s that the boy can’t keep his mouth shut. So everything falls into plan; Felix explaining earlier at lunch what he wants to do- behind Minho’s back of course- and Hyunjin naturally telling his best friend everything and anything under the sun. Followed by Minho’s momma bear over the top reaction. All of the events played out smoothly, in Felix’s humble opinion, causing all three of them to end up at the forest entrance at 4:40 in the evening.

“Felix, listen to me right now. You can not go in there.” Minho tries to reason with Felix for what felt like the hundredth time in the past twenty four hours.

“Why?!”

Hyunjin watches the two of them argue back and forth, neither of the making a stable argument to the other. He lets out a sigh, shaking his head out of disbelief because of what he’s about to do. “You know what? Whatever, if he wants to go, let's go.”

Minho looks and him like he just betrayed his trust. “H-Hyunjin! You know I can't…” Then he adds in a smaller voice. “My parents…”

“Hyung, that was forever ago and you said you got over that. Everything will be fine. Maybe if we just go in once Felix will get over his little obsession and he’ll stop bringing it up.” The taller second year looks towards the blonde and quickly adds a ‘ _no offense_ ’. Not that Felix took offense in the first place, he _knows_ how crazy this entire thing is. “Come on. We will be quick.”

“Yeah, I wasn't planning on staying after the sun goes down.” Felix reasurres a very uneasy looking Minho.

“What about your grandmother, huh? Won't she be worried that you’re staying out?” The oldest of the three desperately asks.

“I told her that I was staying at Hyunjin’s tonight…”

“Woah, man! Dragging me into this without my permission?”

Minho grabs hold of both of their wrists and leads them across a worn out path that’s covered in dried weeds and fallen branches. “Come on, let's just get this over with, and we are _not_ staying past sunset!”

~*~

The head alpha and omega are snuggled on one of the couches watching a movie the beige wolf had chosen, _Titanic._ It's one of those calm and quiet nights the two occasionally have where they get to spend some quality time together. A date night of sorts, if you will. With Changbin and Jeongin playing some video games upstairs and Seungmin reading quietly in his own room, you could say this was a typical Friday night.

Until it wasn't.

The mated couple aren't too far into the classic film when Woojin starts moving around, as if he was trying to get into a comfortable position, where the man lays against Chan's chest.

The alpha glances towards his mate in interest. The works of a lewd joke about moving around too much are at the tip of his tongue, but instead he looks at the older with concern written all over his face. His mate has his eyes screwed shut and shoulders beginning to hunch in on himself, his entire body language screaming ‘ _uncomfortable’._

“Woojin?” Chan gently shifts his lover off of himself and sits him up on the couch instead. He then crouches down in front of the man's knees and places reassuring hands on his waist, rubbing soothing circles to ease Woojin out of whatever is happening.

He watches with great concern as the older finally begins to calm down and slowly opens his eyes, staring off to the side of Chan's head. “What is it, baby? Did you have a vision?”

Yes, Woojin, just like most creatures of their breed, has a gift. His is the gift of Subjective Precognition; the ability to see parts of the future. Whether the vision comes true or not is always a toss up for the omega. However, he can confidently say that his visions’ accuracy is around 79%.

The omega finally brings his gaze towards his lover and grabs his hands shyly. “Channie, I think our family is about to get bigger.” Woojin smiles to himself, knowing exactly what's going to happen. He can feel that this vision will definitely come true.

Chan let's out a sigh of relief, realizing whatever Woojin saw was nothing dangerous or threatening. He places a gentle hand on Woojin's jaw and gets him to bring his attention back to him. He knows how the omega can get kinda out of it when coming back from a vision. “Love, don't speak in riddles. What do you mean by that?” The older looks down at Chan with a soft smile and places his own hand atop his lover’s. The alpha is patiently waiting for Woojin to come down from his vision, but the sound of thundering footsteps from the stairway causes him to turn away.

Standing before the two of them is a panting Seungmin, bangs plastered to his forehead with sweat, the sight alone causes Woojin to immediately snap out of his high. “Seungmin, what-”

“T-There are people on the territory, about a mile away from the house, a-and I don't feel so good…” Seungmin’s words go in one ear and out the other because he notices the trembling hands and the younger shaking his head a few times, which causes alarms to go off in the leaders mind. Chan is two seconds away from wrapping his pack member into his arms and if it wasn’t for his own mate currently occupying said space he would do just that. Instead he decides to talk the young omega through, what Chan assumes, is some sort of reaction to his powers, kinda like Woojin. It’s rare for Seungmin to react as he is now, but Chan guesses you can’t always avoid something like this.

“What's wrong, Seungminnie? You're shaking-”

“Changbin hyung?!” Jeongin’s terrified yell halts the conversation entirely and the three of them all look at each other in concern before running upstairs where the youngest was heard in panic. Chan notices Seungmin walking like it physically pains him to do so and he quickly helps guide the younger the rest of the way.

 _What in the world is going on tonight?!_ The leader ponders to himself.

Once stood in front of the slightly ajared door, the sound of low growls and sniffling can be heard from inside. Woojin grabs hold of a shaking Seungmin and shields the younger behind him, parent mode activated.

Chan carefully opens the door to find a very scared Jeongin crouched beside a dresser and Changbin, who has transformed into his wolf form, in a fighting stance, ready to lash out at anyone who nears him.

The youngest member lets a small sob slip out once he notices Chan standing in the doorway, ready to defuse whatever is going on. “ _DAD!_ ” Jeongin quickly runs to his adoptive father and leader, holding onto his arm like his life depends on it. The maknae, and sometimes Seungmin, only ever refer to Woojin and Chan as their father or dad whenever they’re scared or want something of value, so hearing this word from Jeongin lights a fire in Chan’s heart. The silver haired man responds by checking over the younger for injuries, but thankfully nothing seems to be wrong.

“Innie, stand behind Woojin.” Chan calmly tells the young wolf and then brings his attention to Changbin. The younger alpha stares at Chan with an unreadable expression, but the growls and teeth baring say otherwise. “Changbin, you have to calm down.” The leader steps closer, arms reached out as if to say he means no harm towards him. If whatever is happening to Changbin is what he and Woojin believe is happening, then the younger has almost zero control over his body by now, but the leader tries his best to help anyways.

Changbin is trying to resist on imprinting and him being an alpha only makes his inner wolf that much more difficult to deal with.

“Try to fight it, don't let this control you- Wait!” Chan watches in surprise and horror as Changbin rushes past all four of them and makes his way out of the house. He would have chased after him right then and there if it wasn’t for Seungmin howling out in pain before transforming himself and running out like Changbin had done mere seconds ago.

“ **Changbin! Seungmin!** ” The leader uses his alpha voice to get the attention of his pack members but his efforts go to waste when the two of them show no signs of stopping.

“Come on, we have to go after them. Innie, stay close.”

~*~

Hyunjin pushes another low hanging tree branch out of his face- _curse being tall_ \- and lets out a deep sigh for the hundredth time in the past hour and a half. “You _said_ you knew the way out!” The lanky boy stares heatedly at the back of the third year who didn’t even want to set foot into the allegedly cursed forest in the first place.

“I say a lot of things I don’t mean, stop yelling at me…I'm sensitive.” Minho begins in a serious tone, but ends up ending his sentence with a fucking Vine quote, causing Hyunjin’s mind to spiral further than it was previously doing.

Hyunjin can do _a lot_ of things, and he praises himself for having such a talent, and he will do just about anything, really, but scary things? Nuh uh, screw that. Hwang Hyunjin _does not_ do scary or haunted or being lost in the goddamn forest after sunset, because Felix just had to say, _“Wait, I want to see something.”_ about half an hour ago. And guess what set half an hour ago? The sun. So here they are, doing exactly what they said they wouldn’t do.

“This really is not the time to be cracking jokes, Minho hyung!” Hyunjin hautly announces and continues to use his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the rocks he’s currently having a difficult time walking around. Once he finally manages to catch up to where Minho and a very placid looking Felix are, he ends up doing a double take at the blonde. “ _And how are_ **_you_ ** _calm_?!”

Minho would actually find this scene of an hysterical Hyunjin, being afraid of every little thing, quite hilarious if he wasn’t so worried himself. One of them has to stay calm and, no, Felix does not count. Minho very much believes the boy has some sort of curse or trance on him, and he means that in a very unironic way. It’s creeping Minho out a little if he was being honest.

“ _Shh_ , I heard something.” Felix places a finger over his lips and stops in his tracks to listen to what sounded like someone yelling. And judging by Minho’s face, Felix believes he might have heard it as well.

“What the hell was that?” Minho questions quietly.

Hyunjin however, continues hurriedly with his strides, long legs making quite the distance. “Great! Now we're going to get eaten and die- holy shit I'm too young to die-”

Maybe it was the sudden silence of the scared boy or the sound of a knock followed by a loud thump. Either way, both Felix and Minho watch in shock as a very passed out Hyunjin lays motionless on the cold forest ground.

“Hyunjin!” The oldest of the three runs and crouches down beside the passed out boy. He checks to make sure his best friend is in fact, still alive -which he is- and looks for any wounds. The only harm done seems to be the bump forming on the younger’s forehead, thank God. But this doesn't ease the growing pit of being absolutely frightened and worried for the three of them. First the scream that didn’t sound too far away, the rumors about the forest itself, and now this.

“ _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck_ .” Minho attempts to sit Hyunjin up against the tree, so he isn't _completely_ laid out on the ground, because one: the temperature has considerably dropped in the past hour, and two: who knows what's on the floor of this forest. “How are we going to drag his passed out weight?”

Felix can hear Minho call for him, but it only comes out faint, almost like a whisper from far, far away.

Right now, the blonde watches curiously as two figures approach and the constant tingle and pull the younger has been feeling for days now increases tenfold. He gasps, although quietly, once he sees the figures up close. Two wolves, bigger than normal, with coats the color of night and the other of brown and gray.

And then Felix feels it come all at once.

His eyes connect immediately with the black furred one and everything feels overwhelmingly warm, familiar, and airy, like he’s drifting away. Felix’s heart pulls in a way he has never experienced before, like the tides on a beach, an overflowing wave of pure love and devotion washes over him. Tiny visions, like a film roll playing fast and slow all at the same time, begin to cloud his sight.

The first thing that plays is-… is Seo Changbin. Seo Changbin laying beside him in a bed he's never seen, the both of them looking disheveled, holding hands, and whispering lightly to each other. The next is of Changbin working in some type of garden and looking up lovingly at Felix’s approaching figure, before the vision changes once again. This time Felix is holding a small child, but he also takes notice of his own appearance not looking much older, maybe in his early twenties. Changbin comes up beside him to caress the child's head and gazing at Felix with the same loving smile.

And that’s the last thing he sees before everything goes completely black.

“Felix?” When the blonde doesn't respond Minho looks up and notices his face has a _very_ far off look. “Felix, are you listening?” Minho then curiously shines Hyunjin's dropped phone towards wherever Felix is looking at and nearly drops the cell and possibly passes out, like his friend.

Standing before the three of them are, in Minho’s opinion, one of the most frightening and weirdest things one could encounter in the dark forest that they are currently lost in.

Wolves. And unnaturally big ones.

Two wolves stand before them, one with sleek black fur and one with a mix of brown and what looks to be gray, but Minho can't really tell with this lighting. The larger of the two takes a step forward, eyes never leaving Felix. Minho, who’s on the verge of calling out to the animal to not step any closer to his friend, silences himself. He stills completely once the smaller of the two wolves looks towards him… no, to Hyunjin.

“Seungmin. Don’t.” An unknown voice calls out and maybe it’s a good time for Minho to admit how absolutely terrified he is.

Three more figures appear out from behind some trees. One is pale with silver hair and the dude definitely has a build to him, from what Minho can tell, and looks to be in his early to mid twenties. The guy standing close behind him is around the same height and age, with sandy blonde hair, a little darker than Felix’s, and has honey colored skin. Lastly a boy who barely looks any older than Minho himself, clutches onto the previous guy’s arm like his life depends on it. The younger looking one has auburn hair and doe eyes that look about as scared as Minho currently feels.

“W-who are you people?!” Minho has never had a panic attack before, but he thinks he’s currently about as close to one as he's ever been. None of the strangers say anything more, the only time someone speaks again is when Minho watches in horror as Felix passes out from seemingly nothing and the black wolf hurriedly breaks his fall by placing itself under him. “Stay away from Felix!” He cries out, unable to move from his current spot, afraid the smaller wolf, who's been eyeing Hyunjin, will make a move.

The silver haired man steps forward and stretches his hands out in a tranquil manner. “Hey hey hey. Calm down, he's not going to hurt him-”

“Why did he pass out? What is he doing with Felix?!”

“I can explain everything, but first you need to calm down. My name is Bang Chan, and I know you must be very scared right now, but I can help you three, okay?” The man’s voice is soothing and inviting, much to Minho’s disbelief. The frighted third year looks questioningly towards the beige haired guy, then to smaller boy, gauging the situation to the fullest.

_What the fuck do I do?! I knew we shouldn't have come! I knew all of this was a bad idea the second Felix wanted to come here..._

Minho puts on a brave face, even though his shaking hands say other wise, and stares down the young man- Chan, apparently- in front of him, who seems to be doing all the talking. “W-why should I trust you?”

Chan pays no mind to Minho’s stuttering and gives the younger a sympathetic smile. “I can get you all back home safe and alive.” He promises aloud, speaking with complete seriousness and assurance.

 _Do I even have a choice at this point?_ Minho ponders while looking around.

“Fine.” He states defeatedly. The third year lets out a tired sigh and looks back over where a passed out Felix is curled up against the large black wolf and then towards the smaller, brown and gray one who is now sitting and still staring intently at Hyunjin.

“They’re with us.” The beige haired man speaks up for the first time and Minho whips his head back to where he stands. “The two wolves, they’re with us. Don’t be afraid, neither of them will harm or touch you.” And for some odd reason Minho believes him. Call him crazy, but the beige haired dude’s voice- calm and not too deep- helps him relax just a bit.

Minho stands shakily and stretches his hand out to check if Felix is alright, but Chan catches his wrist before he can so much as get near the blonde. “Don’t touch him! Just not yet…” The older man releases his hand and jerks his head towards the direction they had originally come from. “Follow us.”

~*~

The short walk to the odd group’s house was a strange one.

First: the smaller wolf- Seungmin? That’s what Chan had called him- would not stay more than two paces away from Minho. The third year assumes that it had to do with the lanky second year boy he had to carry on his back. Second: the auburn haired boy kept looking at Minho like _he_ was the weird one and for the life of him, Minho couldn't imagine _why_. It’s not like he was the one living in the fucked up forest with wolves.

When all of them pile inside- even the wolves, to Minho’s surprise- the black furred one carrying a sleeping Felix lays the both of them down near the fireplace and curls around him protectively.

At this point Minho is at a loss for words, so for now he lays Hyunjin down onto one of the couches and sits beside him, placing the younger’s head in his lap. He takes note of the little bits of dried blood around Hyunjin’s forehead that he didn’t notice in the dark forest earlier. _What are we even doing here, Hyunjin?_

Chan lays a warm hand in between Seungmin’s shoulder blades, startling the younger, and breaking his neverending staring contest with the tall and passed out human. “Seungmin, do you think you can shift back? I know it's hard and this is all really terrifying, but everything will be fine.”

Minho watches in shock and nervousness as he witnesses a larger than average wolf magically transform into a boy that looks to be the same age as him. He has brown hair with flecks of gray, that should probably make him look older, but he surprisingly pulls off the look anyways. The boy then takes out a pair of glasses from his pocket, placing the spectacles on his face before slowly approaching Hyunjin’s sleeping form. His eyes are filled with an emotion that Minho doesn't quite understand.

Minho never takes his eyes off the abnormal person? Creature? Whatever he is. “His smell…” Seungmin whispers while reaching out to touch the passed out human.

“Keep your hands off.” Minho practically growls at the stranger, earning him a glare followed by an eyeroll. _Who the hell does this guy think he is?!_ The third year hautly thinks.

Seungmin pads over to where both Woojin and Chan are calming down a less scared Jeongin. “ _Hyung, not just him though. The other one- it's weird.”_ The young omega looks back to where the stranger sits in their living room and Chan nods his head in understanding.

“I know.” The leader threads a hand through Seungmin’s hair, hoping the younger can feel a little less on edge. He knows that Seungmin must be feeling all sorts of emotions right now and honestly he’s doing amazing, keeping his inner wolf at bay. Of course it helps that he’s an omega and would naturally have more control than an alpha. “We will talk later, but right now it's best if you go upstairs with Jeongin.”

The maknae’s eyes suddenly widened at what his hyung had just implied. “No! I don't want to leave!”

Woojin gives his adoptive son an understanding smile while rubbing his back lightly. “Innie, Channie and I will be right here- I know you can sense us from your room. We will come up there when everything is settled. I promise.”

The young wolf reluctantly nods his head and Seungmin guides the both of them upstairs.

The head wolves walk back to where the stranger waits patiently and sit down in the loveseat adjacent to him, the only thing separating them being a glass coffee table, decorated beautifully with flowers Jeongin had actually picked out yesterday morning.

“Explain. Everything.” Minho speaks with as much patience as he can muster up. He’s tired, confused, scared, and just really wants to lay down.

Chan clears his throat and levels the boy across from him with a humble smile. “My name is Bang Chan, like I stated before, and this is Kim Woojin, my mate. The youngest one is Jeongin and his brother who went upstairs with him is named Seungmin.” The silver haired man points over to the nearby fireplace. “The wolf curled around your smaller friend, his name is Seo Changbin.”

 _Seo Changbin?!_ Minho stares curiously at the wolf.

“What is your name?” Woojin questions, the same calming voice tames the younger’s nerves like it had done in the forest.

“Minho… Lee Minho.”

“Minho, you’ve probably heard the rumors or lores about this forest, about what hides inside. All of it is true. Right now you’re on Stray’s territory; our pack. My family.” Chan watches carefully, trying to see how Minho would react to this information, but the boy only looks at him with an unreadable expression, so he continues. “Werewolves, as you would call them, have roamed these parts for a very long time. Some packs like ours move districts every decade or so to help hide our identities. Things would start to get weird once humans notice how very little we age.”

Woojin offers a little smile. “This is a lot to take in so-”

“My friend, why is he like that? I don’t understand.” Minho surprises both Chan and Woojin from the lack of reaction about finding out werewolves are more than just a fairytale, but the two do not dwell on the subject for too long.

“Well, he has been imprinted on. It’s rare, but when werewolves imprint onto humans the latter gets a bit overwhelmed and passes out afterwards. He will be fine though.”

Minho rubs his temples trying to understand all of this. “Imprinted? What does that mean and just- this is all so fucking crazy...”

Ah, there is the reaction they were expecting.

Chan hums in understanding and tries to think about how to easily put everything without confusing the distraught boy any further. “I guess to put it simply, imprinting for us is kind of equivalent to humans saying that they have found their soulmate or true love. Except we don’t have a choice or say in the matter, it just _happens_. Our fate is already decided for us, whoever we imprint on is considered to be our one true mate, perfect match, the one we are the most compatible with. When we imprint we are dedicated, protective, and loyal.”

Woojin takes hold of his mate’s hand and continues speaking once Minho looks a little less lost. “Of course you’re not instantly in love with the other, no. It’s a blooming love that grows and grows for the rest of our lives. But what does happen immediately is a sort of gravitational pull towards the other- like a need to be near them, and an overbearing form of protectiveness will also occur. You would do anything or be anything for the other.” The older of the three takes a breath and the atmosphere instantly gets heavier with his change of tone. “With humans however, it's a little… complicated.”

“Wooj, I don’t think we should tell-”

“Tell me.” Minho pleads while glancing over at a peacefully sleeping Felix, curled up comfortably against the dark wolf. “He's my friend, please…” He then closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before reopening them into a serious stare.

“When a wolf and a human are imprinted, they have roughly half a year to complete the bonding ceremony before… uhm…” He looks towards his mate for a little help at delivering the information.

“Before the wolf falls ill and passes away.” The beige wolf adds in carefully.

“W-what happens in the bonding ceremony?”

“Well it’s- uhm, Channie?” Chan looks away to the side, finding the vase on the table beside him eons more interesting then this sudden topic. Woojin lets a sigh slip in result of his mates immature behavior. “The two perform intercourse and at a certain moment one of them, in this case it would be the wolf, bites the other right around here.” He points to his exposed neck, specificly near the bottom where the shoulder and neck meet. Minho takes notice of the small swirling tattoo that curls beautifully around scars that look like inhuman teeth marks. “This triggers and seals the bond between the two, resulting in becoming mates. It’ll also transform the human.”

“Transform as in… into a wolf?” Woojin and Chan both nod their heads simultaneously. “S-so you’re telling me that Felix has no say in _any_ of this?”

Chan acts quickly to calm the younger one down. “He can reject Changbin if he so chooses, but it’s highly unlikely. As I stated before, mates are selected for us and in return that also means for them- the other half. Fate brought the two of them together for a reason.” He smiles at Minho reassuringly. “This is not some wild coincidence.”

“What high school does Felix go to?” Woojin questions, trying to get Minho’s racing thoughts elsewhere.

“T-the same as Changbin… all of us go to the same school, actually.”

“Has Felix been acting weird? Perhaps zoning out or making rash decisions-”

“He wanted to come here so badly, so much so that he just started walking here after school a couple of days ago. We were calling out to him and it didn't even seem like he could hear us.” The younger boy shudders, remembering how scary the situation actually was. “But Felix was _never_ scared.” Minho looks down at Hyunjin sleeping peacefully in his lap and then sheepishly begins to speak. “Also uh… he kinda has been watching Changbin since he came back from being out sick- Wait!” Minho’s mouth drops in sudden realization.” _You're_ his parents?!”

“He wasn't lying when he said that the kids at school thought we were his dads.” Woojin stage whispers to a surprised looking Chan.

“No, although we sign as his guardians for school paperwork, he has his own mother and father back in his previous pack.” Chan quickly corrects. “But we are his _pack family_ , all tied to the same line of fate. One stronger than his own birth parents’. In a way you can call us his parents, but we are not blood related. The only blood relatives here are Seungmin and Jeongin. Woojin and I adopted them ten years ago, so we really are _their parents,_ but that’s kind of a long story.”

Minho nods his head in understanding and lets the realization- of their world being completely different from his- sink in. “Okay…I have another question.” Both Chan and Woojin look towards the younger expectantly. “Seungmin?” They nod patiently, confirming the name, and wait patiently. “He said that Hyunjin smells? What does that even mean? And why did he act like… like that around Hyunjin.” To say Minho was protective of his best friend would be the understatement of the century.

“We won't know a hundred percent until the boy wakes up, but it is most likely that Seungmin will imprint on Hyunjin.” Woojin speaks slowly as if to lessen the blow of whatever impact the information will have on the younger. “The imprinting can only occur if proper eye contact is made.”

“Jus- just give me a minute.” Minho takes another deep breath and then another, trying to wrap his head fully around everything that has been said tonight. After a couple of minutes of controlling his breathing pattern he finally looks around the grand living room he’s currently sat in. It’s an attempt to get his mind onto other topics that don't involve his friends possibly turning into a mythical creature.

He takes into account that his home is bigger, that’s not a surprise (He’s filthy rich, what do you expect?), but this house is by no means an average size. The decoration is also something that catches his attention; There’s mostly modern simplicity, but also antiques scattered here and there in places you wouldn't think twice about- that is until Minho does a double take of a framed photo placed on a nearby shelf.

The photo is in black and white, but the picture itself is so old that the paper has turned a light tan color. The picture captures a couple in 1950s attire, holding hands, standing happily in front of what looks to be a small wooden cabin.

The couple in the picture just so happens to look like a copy and paste of the pair sitting right in front of Minho.

“How _old_ are all of you?”

Chan scoffs at the sudden question “What a rude thing to ask!” and dismisses the slightly panicked look upon the younger’s face.

Woojin smiles and answers the boy anyways. “Both of us are 89 years old. Changbin is 46, Seungmin is 26, and Jeongin is 18- he's still a baby.”

“O-oh…”

Chan laughs at the weird facial expression Minho currently has, anyone would be surprised to know their real ages. “After turning 21, our aging slows down rather drastically. Oldest wolf alive is known to be thousands of years old. And still doesn't look a day over 70.”

“You're not immortal?”

“We're not vampires.” Woojin replies dryly and very unamused.

“If you want, I can show you to a room and you can rest for the night. If we were to make the trek back now it'll be highly difficult, plus I don't think you'll be going with your smaller friend anytime soon.” Minho takes another look at the sleeping Hyunjin in his lap and glances one last time at Felix, before nodding his head in agreement. The leader smiles at the younger’s cooperation before standing up and stretching his arms above his head in a tiered manner. “We can talk more tomorrow. I’m sure we’ve all had enough excitement and information overload for today.”

Chan leads Minho (who’s carrying Hyunjin, once again, on his back) upstairs and down a hall with multiple doors that lead to god knows where, until they reach one and he opens said door to reveal a quaint bedroom. It’s nothing much; a queen bed with a designed quilt and a wooden frame. Across from the bed is a simple wooden dresser that matches the bedside tables, and a long window with sheer curtains. All in all, this is not what Minho had expected; he didn’t expect everything to be so… modern.

The leader bids the two of them good night, explaining that there’s extra shirts and sweatpants in the dresser, before heading out of the room and Minho gets to work at undressing a passed out Hyunjin.

Minho has successfully put his best friend to bed and also managed to find a washcloth in the attached bathroom, where he had wet the cloth and cleaned up Hyunjin’s wound to the best of his abilities. The third year is pulling down the borrowed shirt over his head, when a couple of knocks rap against the door.

He’s surprised to see Woojin walking in with a plastic ziplock bag filled with ice and Minho can already tell what it’s for.

“This is for his head.” The older hands him the bag carefully and looks over the humans sleeping form. “We didn't have any pain killers, since we do not need them, but this might help with the swelling. Seungmin wanted to give it to you, but I told him it might be best if I did it. Considering the circumstances and the fact that you two seem a little on edge with each other.”

 _Yeah, that guy is a piece of work._ Minho sarcastically thinks.

“Thank you.” He takes the bag in one hand, giving Woojin a grateful smile for the simple yet kind gesture. “Why are you being so nice to us?” Minho finally questions out loud once Woojin turns to leave, door handle already in hand.

“I have a feeling that fate brought the three of you here for a reason.” And with that, Woojin leaves without saying anything further.

Minho bites down on his bottom lip nervously and places the bag of ice down on Hyunjin’s red and irritated forehead, before turning off the lights and crawling into bed himself.

~*~

Once Chan gets through towel drying his hair, he climbs into his shared bed where Woojin instinctively curls into the younger, tangling their legs together and laying his head atop the alpha’s chest with a content sigh. “ _You know he's lying to us…”_ Woojin speaks through their bond, not wanting any prying ears to hear their conversation. Lord knows how nosey this house full of boys can get.

“ _Minho is just scared, Wooj.”_ Chan runs his fingers lightly through his lover’s sandy blonde locks, still wet from his recent shower.

“ _Not too sure why he's so scared when he's a wolf himself.”_

_“We don't know for sure- the boy just smells like it.”_

Woojin lets out an understanding hum before looking up in thought. _“You want to know what I think?”_

The younger presses a light kiss onto Woojin’s temple. _“Always.”_

_“I think he’s a half breed.”_

_“That means-”_

_“One of his parents never turned the other.”_

_“Do you think he knows?”_

The omega simply shrugs a shoulder before sleep manages to catch up with him, eyes feeling heavier by the second. _“I guess we'll figure that out in the morning.”_ He leaves a simple peck on the younger’s clothed sternum and whispers out, “Good night, love.” before drifting off into much needed sleep.

“Good night.”

_I guess Woojin was right when he said our family is about to get bigger._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments! Likes and words of motivation are ALWAYS welcomed~
> 
> P.S. if anything confuses you I'll happy to answer any questions!
> 
> Next Time:  
> -Felix meets Changbin, for real this time  
> -Seungmin is not having a good time™  
> -Minho tells the truth  
> -Hyunjin is still confused
> 
> Come follow me on Twitter @CadeIsTrash or follow the story on AsianFanfiction


	3. Unravel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho's wall finally comes tumbling down, Hyunjin sees a face from the past, and Felix revels in his new reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter has been edited by DiamondWings (Go check out her SKZ fics)
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support on this fic! I LOVE reading all of your guys comments, it really brightens my entire day when I see one ;_; Also a big thank you for waiting on this update, I've been caught up with work, Kcon, two different concerts, and simply haven't had time to really put in some work for this chapter. But it's here now, so no worries <3
> 
> I hope you guys really enjoy this 13k chapter (even if there's a lot of dialogue lol)
> 
> I'll see you all at the end notes ;)

Minho's dreams have been the same for quite some time, give or take on the rare occasions he dreams of nothing but blackness. To put it simply, he dreams about the day when everything changed, which is then quickly followed by a faceless boy he’s never met before.

Every night it's the same thing.

It starts off with a young Minho watching his mother’s back disappear out the front door as she walks out of their immaculate shared home. The scene quickly changes and shows two men standing at his doorstep, just like they had done years prior, to inform his nanny of his mother’s sudden passing. But then it always cuts off there and switches to a single figure standing before him in an unknown field. The atmosphere is quite different from the one surrounding the previous scene. It’s welcoming and warm, the fields have sunflowers and the sky is littered with plump clouds. As for the boy, Minho knows only the bare minimum about the stranger from his dreams; definitely male, ginger hair, possibly around twenty, and he's always repeating the same thing.

_“Be strong.”_

The boy’s voice isn't too deep or high, just right in Minho’s developing opinion, and if Minho was ever asked to, he could pick the stranger’s voice out from a crowd.

Throughout the eight years he has had this recurring dream, the orphan always found a sort of comfort in the stranger’s simple words. Of course Minho would _never_ tell a soul about the mystery boy- hell, he hasn't even told Hyunjin, his best friend, and he is not planning on doing so either. The third year fears the judgment and constant teasing that will inebibitally come with said confession.

Tonight however was surprisingly a dreamless one and although it was short lived, Minho couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at a missed opportunity to see his little dream visitor.

The third year awakes by someone lightly shaking his shoulder and he proceeds to scrunch up his face in annoyance. The boy has never been one for mornings, let alone being awakened by something other than his alarm or simply waking up naturally. Minho lets out a low groan, signaling the intruder that he is somewhat awake and hoping to get some sort of explanation of why he’s being pulled from his slumber.

“Come down stairs, we need to talk.” Chan gently pats the youth’s shoulder and makes his way back out of the room, giving Minho some time and space to properly wake up.

The leader’s voice isn't stern or demanding, but rather comforting in a way, which is the _only_ reason Minho agrees to slip out from under the warm duvet and follow the older male. However, before making haste downstairs, Minho makes sure to check up on Hyunjin; the boy is unsurprisingly sleeping like a log, snuggled into one of the spare pillows and snoring softly.

Just like a repeat of last night, Minho finds himself sitting down with both Chan and Woojin, but this time the three of them are sat comfortably in the kitchen. The room is quite big, furnished with a quaint breakfast table, a wooden island, painted cabinets with little accented glass windows, and pots of shrubbery appearing sporadically around the room. The rays of a new morning, peaking through the sheer curtains placed delicately onto a couple of wall length windows, cast light down onto the table Minho sits at. Calm and welcoming, something that reminds Minho of a breath of fresh air; that’s how he would best describe the room.

The younger of the three moves his hand around a shadow being cast down onto the table, most likely caused by the trees from outside the window. He watches it move across his palm and elope around his fingers, producing a darker shade to take place on his skin.

_How fitting…_

Minho can not help but compare his own home to the pack’s house once more. His being more on the grayish side when it came to the color scheme, barely any photos depicting anyone but himself, and he can’t even _think_ of the last time he had actual flowers in his home, aside from the fake ones that are cleaned every now and then by the housekeepers. In retrospect, there is never this much… life.

Woojin walks around the table- exceedingly more awake than should be considered normal- and places a cup of what looks to be tea in front of a now semi awake Minho and does the same to the other male at the table before sitting down himself. The omega motions towards the little display of milk, honey, and sugar placed near the edge of the table, silently asking if the younger would fancy any. But Minho shyly shakes his head, too concerned about the oncoming conversation to even think about how he would take his tea.

The few seconds of dead silence rack Minho’s nerves to no end. The ticking of a nearby clock digs deeper into his skin and the little rattling from a spoon swirling around Chan’s mug is beginning to do something to Minho’s psyche. He has an _inkling_ of why the older two would drag him out of bed at seven in the morning, but Minho has never been too sure when it came to this topic in his life, so it really is a toss up of what he could possibly be doing at this table.

Chan takes a careful sip from his steaming mug and levels Minho with a knowing stare. “I think you know why we want to speak with you.”

_Nevermind. They know. Both Woojin and Chan definitely know!_ Minho would be lying if he said that he was comfortable talking about such a topic. The dark haired boy knows of only three people who are aware of his situation, but he guesses now he’ll have to add two more to the short list.

The two older wolves know about his greatest secret and biggest weakness.

Minho’s heart quickens at just the thought and before he knows it his breathing also begins to pick up. He was _so stupid_ to think that they wouldn’t notice! The third year thought last night he was gonna have a panic attack, well that was _nothing_ compared to what he was currently feeling. Every breath that even gets a chance to enter his windpipes feels like thorns scratching up and down his throat and his stomach practically has a mini typhoon crashing around inside.

Woojin carefully reaches a hand across the table to give the panicking boy some comfort, but Minho quickly jerks his shoulder back, causing the older to frown at the cold movement. “Don’t be frightened, everything will be okay, we just want to confirm what you are.” The light haired man speaks softly, almost motherly in a way, and Minho realizes- once again- that both Chan and Woojin mean him absolutely no harm. It’s something he has to remind himself; not everyone is evil and out to harm him, like he’s been more or less taught ever since his mother’s death.

The frighted younger sucks in a quick breath and attempts to calm his rapidly beating heart and mind. “A half breed…” He whispers out just loud enough for the two wolves to hear.

Both Chan and Woojin share a look, of course the older of the two has a cockier glance, as if to say _‘I told you so’,_ but Chan would rather not get into that petty argument right now. “Do your friends, Felix and Hyunjin, know about your situation?” Chan lightly questions once the sudden realization that the boy across from them is, in fact, a half breed and definitely not human finally sets in.

“N-no they don’t.” Minho looks away in shame, even though the two older men are nothing but understanding of his secret. “Look if I'm being honest with you two, I'm young a-and I don't have a lot to go by or any sort of guidance… My father passed away before I was even born and my mother died when I was 10.”

Woojin’s hand quickly finds Chan’s under the table, once a spike of sadness and worry runs through their bond. He holds onto the younger tightly, well aware of their past reflecting right in front of them with Minho’s own backstory. The older wolf then intertwines their fingers when Chan’s hand begins to tremble.

“The only thing I know is that I'm a half breed. I have no idea who my father was or where he came from, all I can tell you is that apparently he was a wolf and my mother was human. When you told me about what happens between Wolves and humans once they imprint, I thought about my parents… and about how that must've been the reason for my father’s passing.” Minho takes another breath because _he can do this_ , he knows he can finally say the words out loud and not be ashamed for once in his life. “I-I can control my wolf extremely well, hell… I have to for the sake of my friends and peers. I also take suppressants that I've had anonymously delivered to me since I was 15.”

The leader shifts slightly in his chair at the topic of suppressants. That must have been the reason Minho’s emotions felt a little off last night and today as well, since suppressants distort the way other wolves see the user. Of course Chan understands that because Minho is mixed that the boy alone has a type of shield over him. That’s a thing with wolf and human mixed breeds; distortion. It’s another reason why elders find the mixed wolves a threat, because they’re practically impossible to read unlike normal wolves.

Ultimately, Chan decides to hold back on voicing his thoughts, wanting Minho to finish speaking first- scared the younger will leave something important out if he stops the boy now.

But Woojin has other questions.

“Do you know what pack your father came from? Are there any crests or symbols around your home that would indicate where he grew up?” The head omega investigates further.

Minho purses his lips in thought, thinking of any recurring symbols that would stand out. “The mansion was practically stripped clean of my parents personal belongings when my mother passed away. Although… the woodwork along the fireplace and stairwell have the same artwork carved into it.”

“What does it depict?”

“Wolves attacking one another, like a sort of battle? I’m not too sure…”

_“We have no idea how old his dad truly could have been or where his parents even came from. That mural could mean any fight between our kind at this point.”_ Chan ponders between his bond with Woojin, curious of his thoughts.

_“Yeah, but I think we could at least help Minho get some type of closure, don’t you think Channie?”_

_“This isn’t going to be an easy case to solve, but it can’t hurt to try I guess.”_

Minho looks between the two men in front of him and slowly begins to let his guard down. A guard that Minho has so strategically placed and built throughout the past eight years of his life, is finally crumbling away with every second, minute, and hour he spends with the pack. “I was being honest with you when I asked about the imprinting. I really know close to nothing about my own kind. J-just please, I can’t go back to that empty mansion. I can’t go back.” The younger quietly pleads.

And there it is, Minho’s final breaking point.

_“Mama has to go now, my dear.” A woman, who doesn't look any older than 30, sadly states with tears threatening to spill at any second. She carefully crouches down to the height of her ten year old son and places a warm hand upon the confused boy’s face._

_She’s beautiful- doe like eyes, a narrow face with full cheeks, and long chocolate locks, styled naturally into waves. But the boy in front of her is practically a spitting image, aside from his prominent nose and youthful eyes that have not seen even a fraction of the atrocities his mother has._

_“Where to?” The boy innocently questions._

_The woman looks away from her son and glances at the nanny, who was just minutes ago sworn to secrecy; sworn to keep a secret that will change the young boy’s life if he were to ever find out. Once the nanny nods her head at the silent plea, the mother turns back to the boy with tears now spilling from her eyes. “I can’t tell you just yet, baby, but when you are much much older maybe I’ll let you know.”_

_The child purses his lips at his mother’s odd behavior and heavy atmosphere, but nods his head anyways. “When will you come back, mama?”_

_She caresses his youthful cheeks with trembling hands and takes a deep breath. “Soon.” The woman whispers out. “Minho, remember everything I’ve taught you okay? Remember your secret has to stay here in this house and only here. No one can ever find out, at least for now, do you understand?”_

_Confused by his mother’s actions even further, the young boy tilts his head in befuddlement, but he obeys her request nonetheless. “Yes, mama.”_

_She smiles, although the gesture still comes across a little more sorrowful than the woman intended. “Ms. Cha will take good care of you, like she usually does while I’m away. Be a good boy for her and try to stay out of trouble.” The somber woman leaves a delicate kiss upon her son’s forehead, lingering on the action a bit more than normal, and slowly stands back up. “I love you so much, Minho.”_

_“I love you too, mama.”_

_The child watches carefully as his mother exists the house, bags in hand, and wrists wiping away fallen tears. Sure, he’s seen this many times before, since his mother takes business trips every now and then, but this time it felt different, almost as if she knew that this might be the last time she would see him._

_With that in mind, the young boy chases after his mother and latches onto her midsection. He lets tiny sounds of choked sobs seep out of his lips, and onto the cashmere material that his mother’s coat is made from, the reality of the situation finally setting in,. However, the woman does not move from her spot, instead she stands still and waits for the child to be removed, her tear stained cheeks becoming rehydrated by her son’s distressed state._

_“Come on, master Minho. Your mother needs to leave now.” The older woman, his nanny, pulls him back with minimal force and successfully detaches him._

_And without knowing it, that would be the last he saw of his mother._

“I can’t go back…” Minho whispers out once more, recalling his past vividly. The distraught boy stares into his now lukewarm tea, too embarrassed to face the two understanding men before him.

Woojin grips his mate’s hand gently to get the man's attention. _“Channie, he is clearly hurting. We can not let him do this alone, Minho needs help. Plus… my vision I had last night. Minho was there and so was Felix and Hyunjin. Channie, they’re going to be part of our future.”_

_“Then I guess this settles things for now, we’ll properly invite them once everyone is up. Our pack really is getting bigger. Although, we’ll have to ask around about the suppressants; maybe Jisung can find out who's been sending them to him.”_ The head alpha glances towards Minho's quivering form in thought. _“His parents must have had some serious connections, or at least knew of a couple of packs near here. Not just anyone can get ahold of suppressants.”_

Both Chan and Woojin share one more glance before smiling softly towards the boy in front of them.

“Minho?” Chan calls out to the younger to get his attention, he can tell the half breed has drifted off into a spiralling mind space in the time it took Woojin and himself to have their little conversation. “You can stay here for as long as you need or want. We are offering you a place in our pack if you wish.” The leader chuckles to himself at the wide eyed reaction. “Of course we would have to make adjustments to the rooming situation, since you can’t stay in Jeongin’s room, best option would be to bunk with Jisung-”

“Just until we have a proper room set up for you.” Woojin quickly corrects his mate.

“Right, just until we have something more permanent, but all in all we would be _delighted_ to have you here.”

Minho nods his head in thanks. He can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like to finally have a family again or to come home to a house full of life and colors. Sure he has a handful of loyal staff back at the mansion, sworn into secrecy, but they’re not really family. They have their own families to return to once their shifts are done, Minho however does not. This is an opportunity he could only dream of and here it is, right in front of him with open and accepting arms.

The third year finally comes down from his euphoria and catches up to an unknown name that Chan had spoken. "Who's Jisung?"

The mated pair both perk up at the name. "He's another member of the pack, but he's away on business right now." Chan then points to an object behind Minho’s head. “See the photo up there? He’s the small redhead on the end.”

Minho rakes his eyes carefully over the framed picture and notices four boys in front of a beautifully lit christmas tree, all huddled close together, most likely to fit into frame. He recognizes Changbin first, a laid back smile gracing his lips, and wearing a monstrosity of a sweater- which alone brings a grin to Minho’s face. Seeing the school’s superstar in such attire does something to a person. Next of course are Seungmin and Jeongin, both with matching toothy grins and peace signs raised into frame. But then Minho makes it to the last person.

_So this guy is Jisung?_ The third year ponders.

The young man in the picture comes across nicely, with his smile big and bright- mouth forming a heart shape- and how his cozy looking sweater practically devours his smaller frame, but that’s not what really catches Minho’s interest. In fact, it's actually the emerald ring placed upon the boy’s right hand, the third year recognizes the jewelry from his dreams; the boy who always appears wearing exactly the same thing. But maybe his subconscious has just seen the piece of jewelry before and wants to think it is the same as the boy’s in the picture.

“Wooj and I took him in around the same time we adopted Seungmin and Jeongin. Jisung wanted a change and more freedom per se, since his previous pack only consisted of his parents, all of his siblings, and their mates… he felt trapped.”

“They treated him differently because he’s actually a runt.” Woojin’s words drift off a little towards the end of the sentence, causing Minho to look at the older male in confusion. The third year isn’t stupid, he knows what a runt is and can only assume that their world takes such a position seriously. “But that’s a story for another time and it’s not really mine to tell, either.” The omega finishes quickly.

Chan notices the change in atmosphere and the facial expression the dark haired boy currently wears. “Minho? We will figure all of this out together, so please consider our offer.”

Minho quickly schools back his expression, since the older two believe he is having second thoughts on joining the pack, when in reality he’s still curious about the boy from the picture. “I will, thank you Chan and Woojin hyung.”

“From now on, we can help you in whatever you need, whether it be learning about our kind or something as simple as lending you a shoulder to lean on or a hand to hold.”

Minho looks back at the photo one more time and thinks about all the boys depicted. He then thinks of Hyunjin, who's asleep upstairs and also Felix, who's hopefully being taken cared of by Changbin himself. He thinks of the two men in front of him who have shown the orphan more love and acceptance in the past twelve hours than most adults he’s ever come into contact with.

“Come on now, lets make some breakfast, the rest of the boys will be up soon!” Woojin happily announces and pulls a suddenly sluggish Chan out of his seat, just to drag the poor man across the kitchen and near the fridge.

_I think I’ve finally found my family._ A soft and knowing smile spreads across Minho’s face and once Woojin calls him over to help with breakfast preparations, he gladly obeys. Even though he’s never really cooked before, he can sure as hell try. Just like he’s going to try and fit himself into this new environment and lifestyle. For once in eight years, Lee Minho is ready for a change, he’s ready to be a part of a family again.

~*~

Felix's chest feels heavy, that's the first thing his brain processes once he begins to wake from his peaceful slumber. The second thing he notices is that he's actually laying in a bed instead of his futon back at the elder's village.

This also happens to be the exact moment red flags begin to pop up.

With a curled up fist the blonde rubs his eyes gently to remove any remaining sleep and to make sure he is a hundred percent awake because this can't be right, Felix doesn't _own_ a bed and neither does his grandmother. He slowly tightens his hands into the soft duvet and brings the comforter closer to his chest, not for warmth, but more so for comfort. 

His eyes settle back into focus for the first time this morning and Felix takes this time to take note of the room he's in, starting from the grand window that practically replaces an entire wall. Felix finds it odd that there’s no drapery, and slightly annoying since the sun’s rays shine way too bright, but he assumes whoever owns said window enjoys the view and openness it has to offer. The blonde then moves his gaze towards the front of him and isn’t too surprised to see the setup of a dresser, random trinkets, a gaming console. He moves on and finally reaches the other corner of the room only to find a boy sitting cross legged in a comfortable looking armchair with a curious yet softened gaze staring back at him.

Oh… 

_Oh!_

_Changbin!_

Every single event that occurred last night hits Felix like a fucking truck- _the forest, getting lost, Hyunjin passing out, the two wolves… no- Two werewolves, one black and one brown with gray, the visions of him and the older, then passing out…_

Felix doesn't startle or move from his spot and neither does Changbin, however the human’s breathing pattern quickens unwantedly, his heart growing fond over the presence of the other male.

“Hi" Felix greets, his voice is a little scratchy from sleep and a little deeper than normal, which definitely does not go unnoticed by the older male.

Changbin does his best at schooling his beating heart, but the redness that is most likely spreading across his cheeks now? Yeah, he can’t really do shit for that. How the hell can a boy looking like that much of an angel have a voice like some asian Alan Rickman?! Sure, Changbin’s own voice is naturally a little husky, but this guy is on a different level.

"Hi" The dark haired boy’s voice is gravely, that’s the first thing Felix takes away from Changbin’s introduction, the second thing is hearing the latter’s voice for the first time warms his chest a little more than should be considered normal.

"I Felix- I mean that’s my name- my name's Lee Felix o-or my Korean name is Lee Yongbok, but I don't really use that one, uhm…" He mentally face palms at the oh so eloquent sentence he managed to sputter out. It’s not every day Felix gets to meet his crush in some unknown room that smells like cinnamon and pine.

Changbin lets a quiet giggle slip out, surprising Felix with the adorable action. "I know." The younger’s eyes widen and his ears turn impossibly red. “I’m Seo Changbin.”

Felix, feeling a little embarrassed to be laying down while having this conversation, sits himself up and leans on the bed’s headboard, giving the boy across the room a shy grin. “I know. You're kinda a big deal at school, hyung.”

The older boy huffs out another amused laugh, understanding that he's more than just some average student. There is a reason behind why he acts the way he does at school, but he'd rather not get into such an intricate story right off the bat. "How come I've never seen _you_ around school?" Changbin decides to swap the roles in a weak attempt at shifting the conversation back to the younger. "I know you were there because I could feel you and smell you. I actually didn't know what was making me feel like that, but I understand now. You must be the new transfer student, right?”

“How did you know that? A wolf instinct?” 

Right. Changbin is a werewolf. Felix didn't even mean to say the sentence aloud, but it's too early in the morning for his brain to mouth filter to function properly.

The ebony haired boy let's out another giggle and Felix believes he'll never get tired of hearing such a melody. “Nah, I'm not that good. People at school actually talk about you too, specifically your freckles.” Now _that_ surprises the younger! He’s never been one to bring attention to himself, just enough to get by in school, so it comes to his surprise hearing that the older actually has in fact heard of him. But that sentence doesn't nearly catch him off guard as the next statement that leaves Changbin’s mouth. “They're so beautiful. You're beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Felix panics at the sudden compliment and looks away from the boy across the room, too embarrassed to even make eye contact.

The conversation dies out a little bit after the _very_ direct comment. The two end up basking in the quietness and while Changbin relaxes back into his seat and pulls out a book the younger has seen him read at lunch before, Felix brings his attention back to the older. The blonde watches him, takes in every single detail he can pinpoint, like Changbin’s missing earrings- probably removed to sleep more comfortably- or his honey colored skin, practically lit up from the sun leaking into the room, and his broad shoulders that Felix so desperately wants to lean his head on.

And almost as if the older could sense the blonde observing him, Changbin looks up from his book with a knowing smirk.

“I- sorry I just can't stop staring at you, even during school I just couldn't look away.” Felix stops talking altogether and lets a groan out, covering his face with his hands in the process. “Oh my God, that's so embarrassing to admit!”

The dark haired man gives the other a fond hum and realizes if both of them are going to be honest with each other, then he might as well speak his mind also. “I think it's cute.”

After the initial embarrassment wears off, Felix drags his hands away from his face and looks back at Changbin, only to find the other male already looking at him. “So you're… a werewolf?”

“We like to call ourselves wolves, werewolf sounds a tad barbaric, but yes I am. Do you remember how you got here or anything from last night?”

“I can remember walking with Minho hyung and Hyunjin- Wait. Where are they?!”

“They're right down the hall, both completely fine, although the taller one, Hyunjin? He had passed out from hitting his head on a tree or something, but other than that they're both safe.”

Felix calms back down from hearing the news and nods his head before continuing his recollection of last night. “We were walking and I heard a noise- screaming I think- and I told Hyunjin to stop talking and he ran right into a branch. That's around the same time...”

_The visions. Disheveled hair and soft smiles in an unknown bed. Secret and loving gazes in a garden. A small child nestled into his own arms with Changbin by his side._

Now that Felix is _really_ taking in his surroundings, he realizes that the bed in the vision is the same one he’s currently sitting in. The realization of the kind of state the two of them were in said vision is enough to make the younger blush a deep scarlet red. “W-what was I seeing, hyung?”

“I think you know what you saw.”

Felix _knows_ , but he just wants to understand the how and the why of it all.

Changbin finally gets up from his chair and eyeballs the spot beside the blonde, silently asking if it is okay to sit next to the younger. The latter nods his head shyly, heart racing at the mere closeness of the other. Once settled in beside Felix, Changbin takes the younger’s hand in his own, sending chills and a warming sensation throughout the both of them. Neither boy decides to question the occurrence, but instead let the feeling run through them willingly.

“You saw a flash of our future together and I saw it too. Some mates say that what we are seeing are key points in our lives to come- of course not all of them though, just the beginning of our lives. What happened out there was me imprinting onto you. Wolves imprint with their future mates- almost like a proposal of sorts, I guess if you were to put it in human terms. Mates are like our form of soulmates. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I do and for some reason I think my subconscious kinda already knew that?” Felix looks down at their connected hands in thought.

“That’s normal.” Changbin reassures the confused blonde. “Chan hyung told me that this happens when wolves imprint with humans. Things that are a part of our culture and lifestyle practically become second nature to the human and you knowing things you’ve never even heard about before is completely normal.” Felix nods his head, understanding that he’s not actually going crazy. “Take a bonding ceremony for instance. They say imprinted humans will already know what that means-”

Felix quickly waves his unoccupied hand up, signaling the older to halt the embarrassing sentence. “Y-yeah… I uhm- uh- I know what that is, for some reason… Holy shit.” The blonde didn’t even think it was possible to blush this much so early in the morning!

Changbin lets out a hearty laugh, enjoying how easy it is to tease the younger. He then unconsciously brings their joined hands to his lips and leaves a light kiss atop the other’s hand, too caught up in his own gleefulness to even notice the soft gaze directed towards him.

“So where exactly are we? Is this your room, Binnie hyung?”

Changbin’s heart practically leaps, the nickname catching him off guard and filling his chest full of nothing but absolute adoration for the younger. Changbin quickly clears his throat, desperately trying to avoid becoming another flustered fool- like he previously had done just from hearing how deep the blonde’s voice is. “Oh! Yeah, sorry about the mess.”

Felix wants to question the older about what he possibly finds messy about the room. Is it the handful of _Pokemon_ related plushies that surprisingly reside at the foot of the bed or perhaps the two shirts laying on the floor? Either way, he can’t imagine why Changbin thinks any of this could be considered messy, but to each their own. “We are about fifteen miles away from the city, you guys walked for quite some time last night. You're actually on my packs territory.”

“There's more of you?” Felix remembers there being another wolf when Changbin had showed up and immediately feels dumb for asking such a question. Not only that, but the second year is very aware that wolves travel in packs and can only assume that applies to Changbin’s kind as well.

“Of course! Six of us live here in this house. In fact it sounds like Chan and Woojin hyung are moving around downstairs- we should probably go and talk to them. Chan hyung is the leader and head alpha of the pack and Woojin hyung, his mate, is the head omega.” While giving the short explanation, Changbin proceeds to remove himself from the bed and pulls the younger along with him, their hands never separating.

“Are they your dads that people say come into school?” Felix questions carefully, not quite sure how Changbin will react to the sudden inquiry, but also simply wanting to know if the rumors at school are true.

The ebony haired boy halts his steps, worrying the younger in the process. “No they're not my parents, but they _definitely_ act the part. My biological parents still reside with my original pack.” Felix nods in understanding and reminds himself to ask Changbin about the male’s previous pack when he has the time. “I do not speak with them often…I didn't leave on very good terms.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I don't see my parents anymore either.” Felix sympathizes with the other.

Changbin feels a wave of pure melancholy come from the younger and for once in his life the young alpha wishes his wolf senses were just slightly duller. He gives the blonde a somber smile and rubs his thumb in what he hopes is a comforting manner. “Come on, let's head downstairs.”

~*~

Hyunjin awakes with a grimace and an aching head. He then realizes very quickly that this room is indeed _not_ his, but that honestly seems like the least of his worries considering the second his slim fingers brush up against his forehead he feels an impressively sized knot and a shot of pain. “Uhg, my head…Where the hell am I?” Hyunjin begins to twist his sluggish body over, so he's not applying any unnecessary pressure to the injured side of his head, but a voice stops him.

“Don't turn around.” An unknown voice mutters out quietly, leaving Hyunjin immobile from the surprise of another person being in the room with him.

_Wait… I've heard this voice before, but where?!_ The lanky boy racks his brain for an answer, but the throbbing pain in his head is making it exceedingly difficult to do so. Hyunjin _knows_ he's heard this voice before- _"Get lost, pretty boy. I don't need your help."_

_That's it!_ He remembers.

About two years ago, when he went to his aunt's house for his cousin’s birthday, Hyunjin was told to stop by a nearby supermarket to pick up some forgotten groceries.

_The teen stands awkwardly in an isle, looking fiercely at the selection of lettuce, trying to decide if his aunt cared if the vegetables he was asked to purchase should be organically grown or not. (The price difference is outrageous, but his aunt is not by any means short of cash either.) Hyunjin was so preoccupied that he almost missed the group of teens walking past him, snickers and heated whispering following the troubled youths._

_It isn't too long after the initial passing of the boys when Hyunjin hears the sounds of shoes scuffing the floor along with multiple items hitting the ground, followed by even more twisted laughter._

_"You're such a fucking freak!" One of the bullies taunts while bending down to another boy, who's on the floor attempting to collect all of his unpurchased groceries littering the ground._

_Hyunjin can't really see the victim's face, due to the dark cap placed on the guy's head, but he feels like he_ **_should_ ** _know him. In the end it doesn’t really matter because if there’s one thing Hyunjin absolutely does not tolerate, it is bullies. This alone causes anger to boil deep down inside him and without so much as a second thought he heatedly walks over to the scene._

_"You wanna apologize for what you just did?" Hyunjin points at the boy who suddenly freezes in place on the floor, but directs his question towards the three bullies. All of them take one look at Hyunjin's murderous glare- if he's not mistaken he even notices one of them gulping in fear- and they turn to make a run for it; all three of the boys tripping over their own feet with how fast they're running._

_He's known to look intimidating for his age thanks to his height and facial structure, but he never likes to use it to his advantage. Hyunjin sends one last glare at the bullies' receding backs before bringing his attention to the boy beside him. "Here, let me help you with that-"_

_"Get lost pretty boy. I don't need your help." The unknown boy jerks the stalk of carrots out of Hyunjin's outstretched hand and turns on his heel to leave the confused and stunned teen in the dust._

Of course Hyunjin remembers the boy from the supermarket. He could never forget a voice like that- the voice that stopped his entire world.

But that was two years ago and on the other side of Korea, there's _no way_ this is the same guy… right?

The confused boy takes a deep breath to calm down his rapidly beating heart. “Uhm, w-who are you?" Hyunjin questions aloud, hoping to figure out what the hell is happening and possibly where he’s at.

There is a pause, lengthy enough for Hyunjin to question if he just imagined the previous voice and quiet enough to make the second year believe the space he’s in has somehow frozen, but after a couple more seconds movement can be heard coming closer towards him. “My name is Seungmin.”

There is no doubt about it, Hyunjin believes he has heard this voice before, he is sure of it. But that only brings up further confusion for the boy. His head is starting to really hurt from all of this.

“Listen- uhm- Seungmin, I don't know who you are o-or where I am and if I'm being a hundred percent honest, I'm _kinda_ terrified right now- oh my God...am I dead?” Hyunjin thinks he might be in some type of purgatory or _something_ of the sort, because he's never seen this room before and maybe since the boy from the supermarket had such an impact on him that is the reason he’s now hearing him in this weird place?

Hyunjin’s own rapid logic didn’t even seem plausible.

The second year boy screws his eyes shut, making an attempt to try and remember what had happened before he got to where he is now.

_Last night._

Felix's odd behavior, Minho agreeing to venture into the forest even though his past with said location could even be called traumatizing… Getting embarrassingly lost in the woods and of course Hyunjin himself running into, what he assumes was a tree, which would _also_ explain the head injury.

“You're not dead, Hyunjin, and you're not in any danger.” Seungmin’s strained voice cuts the lanky boy from his thoughts of last nights adventure.

“Why do you sound like you're in pain? Are _you_ okay?” Hyunjin’s heart begins to pick up slightly because just minutes ago the stranger- no, Seungmin’s voice sounded just fine and now it sounds like it physically pains him to even speak.

Hyunjin hears him take a deep breath and then another, each intake causing more worry to surface in his gut. “When you hear the door close, you can turn around.” The mysterious boy’s words cut through Hyunjin deeper than they probably should have because how can someone feel such sadness for a person they don’t even know?

That’s when something clicks inside Hyunjin - or maybe it was the sound of the door clicking shut - that brings the distorted boy back to reality.

“Wait!” Hyunjin manages to stumble out of bed with as much gracefulness as a skating elephant, ultimately ending up in a tangled mess consisting of the bed covers and his long legs on the cold ground. “Uhg! Shit! My head.”

Once he successfully pulls his limbs out of the duvet and stands up, Hyunjin makes his way out the door and into the hallway. He doesn't really know where he’s going, but the second year assumes he’s upstairs and decides to find a way to get downstairs. Eventually he finds a set of stairs and makes his descent only to be greeted with a nicely sized living room and two male figures occupying a couch.

“Felix!” The two figures turn and Hyunjin didn’t really know who he was expecting the other person to be, but it definitely wasn't him. “Changbin?” The latter waves a hand in greeting, but Felix quickly brings his hand down and whispers to the other worriedly. A look of understanding flashes across the other’s face. “I have _so many questions_ , but right now I need to know if there's someone named Seungmin, here.”

Minho and a young man Hyunjin has never seen before hurriedly file into the room, an apron placed over both of their clothes. “What you _need_ is to lie down, we think you have a minor concussion. How did you even manage to get down the stairs?” Minho places a secure arm around Hyunjin to steady the injured boy, the latter not even realizing his swaying body until it was stilled.

“I-I didn't imagine that conversation-”

“What conversation?” Felix questions slowly.

"The one I had with Seungmin."

Changbin makes a sound of realization.“Oh, Seungminnie is here- actually, now that you've said something, I can't sense him or Woojin hyung.” The ebony haired male looks over to the unknown man who walked into the room with Minho.

“They’ll be back." He soothes out and looks back to Hyunjin with a welcoming smile. "Come and have some breakfast and when they return we can all sit down and discuss what happened last night.” The silver haired man gestures towards the door both him and Minho had came from.

The third year guides Hyunjin into what looks to be a kitchen and helps the younger sit down in a chair at the breakfast table. “I’m Bang Chan by the way.” Chan gives him a reassuring smile and even though Hyunjin is still confused and slightly suspicious of what is going on, he can tell this guy means him no harm.

“Hwang Hyunjin.” He greets the other with a weak smile of his own.

“Nice to meet you, Hyunjin.”

The second year waits patiently for Chan to step out back into the living room, just to flag Minho over to the table. "Minho hyung?!" Hyunjin whisper yells to get his attention.

Minho pauses chopping up some apples before making his way over to Hyunjin and crouching down once the younger gestures him to do so. "Hyung, where the fuck are we and why are you making breakfast? And why in the _hell_ is Seo Changbin looking about five seconds away from melting into a damn puddle while talking to _Mr. Goo Goo Eyes_ , in the living room?!"

"Would you please calm down, think about your head injury."

"Screw my head injury, I need answers!"

"Did you not just listen to a single word Chan hyung said? Calm down and eat something for now. All your questions will be answered once everyone is here, I promise we’re all fine and safe, okay? Just trust me."

Hyunjin hates when Minho pulls the ‘ _Just trust me’_ card because of course he trusts his best friend, he just finds this entire situation to be scary and a little confusing. But if Minho says everything will be fine, then he will believe him. "Fine… but only because you know how much I like food."

Minho chuckles at his best friends love for eating and stands back up. "Yes, I know."

~*~

“Why are you hiding from him?”

Seungmin looks up from where he previously had his head laying atop his knees and watches Woojin sit down beside him. The two are currently at a spot the pack likes to call Seungmin’s Rock, simply because the young omega likes to spend his time at the big boulder when he needs some space. “You know what's going to happen, hyung…You probably had a vision about _all_ of this happening."

“You're going to imprint on him sooner or later, yes, I know that, but what I'm asking is why are you scared? This is something to be happy about.”

The younger only answers with silence and Woojin decides it’s time to kick in the ole fatherly speech. The head omega places a warm hand atop of Seungmin’s head and gently begins to run his fingers through the younger's brown and gray locks.

“Look, Seungmin, I'm not going to force you into anything, but please have trust in what fate is bringing to the both of you. You have _no clue_ what the outcome will be. Give it the benefit of the doubt- who knows? Hyunjin might actually not be that bad and is probably just as nervous and worried as you are. ” The older adds in a lighter tone.

Seungmin finally lifts his head back up and looks over the nearby ledge, watching the forest life live on without a care in the world. The young omega secretly wishes in the moment that things could be as simple as they look, but reality doesn't work like that. “What if he doesn't like me? People like him… and like the students from my last school, they’re all the _same_. Hyunjin is just so stunning and I'm-”

“Nope. Stop right there.” Woojin brings a hand up to stop his son from speaking any further. “First off, we talked about this before moving here. You need to have more confidence, no more self deprecation! You are _perfect,_ Seungmin, and I'm sure Hyunjin will see that. Second: you can't just assume you know what Hyunjin is like, simply because of his looks; that's just not fair and you know it."

The younger brings his bottom lip between his teeth in not only thought but also worry.

“Now let's go back inside and have a talk with everyone. How does that sound?”

It’s not really like the younger has a choice when it comes to Woojin, so the boy nods his head and follows the older home, trying to get what Woojin said about having more confidence to stick with him this time around.

~*~

Once Woojin and Seungmin arrive back at the pack’s house the head omega stops the younger by placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He then makes his way to a nearby linen closet and bring back a handkerchief. Woojin places the fabric snugly around Seungmin's eyes, only for the younger to make a confused noise.

“Uhm, hyung? Is there a reason you’re currently blindfolding me?”

Woojin finishes tying the knot, hoping the cloth is in a comfortable position. “You said you're not ready to imprint…. This might help. Plus, you controlled your wolf unbelievably well, so I don't think you'll lose control like you did last night.” The older wolf turns his adoptive son around and gives his shoulders one last reassuring squeeze before guiding Seungmin forward. “We _all_ need to have this talk, I have a feeling that the three of them will continue to be with us from now on.”

All eyes land on the odd pair the second Woojin and Seungmin enter the living room. Woojin takes notice of Hyunjin being awake and looking very much responsive (a stark difference from the last time he saw the boy), sitting beside him is Minho, who watches Seungmin with careful eyes. Woojin chalks it up as the older boy being quite protective of the lanky second year.

Chan gives his mate a questioning look, but the older simply reassures Chan through their bond that they'll talk about it later.

“Why is Seungmin hyung blindfolded?” Jeongin questions innocently, but anyone who knows the younger would also catch a hint of teasing in the youth's voice.

Hyunjin near about falls off the couch when the auburn haired boy confirms his suspicion of who just walked into the room. _That's Seungmin?_

The second year drinks up every single part of the boy- well, what he can see at least, the blindfold obscures a bit of Seungmin’s face.

Changbin unattractively snorts then lets a chuckle slip and Felix only stares on in confusion about what could be so funny. “Didn't know you were so kinky, Seungminnie~”

“If we weren't about to have such a serious conversation and also didn’t have guests over, I would have already decked you in the face by now, Changbin.”

“Hey! I'm older than you, show a little respect!”

“ _Hyung.”_ Seungmin sarcastically adds in before Woojin guides him the rest of the way to the couch and sits the young omega down beside Jeongin, all while Changbin makes a sound of being mock hurt.

Hyunjin’s eyes follow Seungmin’s every movement because there is no doubt about it, he’s met this guy before and if the pictures scattered throughout the house didn’t say anything before it sure does now. He just can’t really believe the boy from the supermarket is actually him though, it’s just a wild coincidence at this point.

Once Woojin has sat down in his own spot beside his mate, Chan claps his hands together to gather everyone's attention and… maybe to up the energy in the room, since the tension could practically be cut with a knife at this point.

“So, now that we're all here and _conscious_ ,” He makes playful eye contact with Hyunjin, who does indeed become slightly embarrassed by the sudden call out. “I guess I should just point out the elephant in the room. _Congratulations Changbin and Felix on imprinting~_ ” The two head wolves begin clapping their hands and everyone follows after - of course Hyunjin does so with absolute confusion. “You have _no idea_ how long he's been whining about not finding his mate.”

Felix smiles on in glee from being able to hear how Changbin is actually quite different from the cold hearted student he portrays himself to be at school. Sure he gathered as much just from the conversations they’ve had since the blonde woke up this morning, but hearing it from his pack makes it just that much more special.

“Yeah, the other night he was close to tears, it was quite the sight.”

“Guys, seriously?!” Changbin questions why his pack makes sure to embarrass him at every possible chance they can get, but he guesses this is also some type of karma for his little comment towards Seungmin just minutes ago.

Hyunjin clears his throat, successfully gaining everyone's attention. “Sorry to interrupt, but I still have no idea where I am, can someone _please_ explain what’s going on? What happened in the forest last night after I passed out and why the hell are you guys talking about mates and imprinting as if you're all werewolves-”

A rather large sigh cuts Hyunjin’s sentence off. “Wolves." Seungmin weakly states with annoyance. "I hate it when humans call us werewolves…” The blindfolded boy folds his arms stubbornly and shifts slightly in his seat.

It wasn’t the fact that the mysterious boy corrected him, but actually because he didn’t even _deny_ his suspicions and instead confirmed them; now that rendered Hyunjin speechless.

Of course the silence doesn’t last too long.

“W-wait seriously? Seo Changbin, you're a werewolf- sorry, wolf?!” Hyunjin’s eyes have to be bulging out of his head by now and if the giggles from the auburn haired kid- who introduced himself over breakfast as Jeongin earlier- is anything to go by, than he can only assume the surprise and disbelief are clearly written all over his face.

“Yes, I'm an alpha.” He states calmly as if the conversation was completely normal.

Hyunjin blinks once, then twice. "So you're telling me, you're all wolves and Felix is now imprinted with Changbin who, this entire time, has been a wolf? And this whole time you’ve all been living in the haunted forest just outside of town?"

“Well I wouldn't call the forest _haunted_ , I mean I’ve never seen a ghost out here or anything of the sort, but it definitely is dangerous. We have packs around here that don’t take the presence of humans very lightly.” Woojin adds in helpfully, oblivious to Hyunjin’s internal struggle and how the lanky second year finds the information more brain numbing than helpful.

“Oh my God.” Hyunjin squeaks out and sits straight as a board, not feeling as comfortable as he did previously. _These guys are a bunch of nut jobs!_

He runs a hand through his hair and looks back up in disbelief. “This has to be the _weirdest_ day of my life. You know what? I’m just gonna go.” Hyunjin quickly stands and tries to pull up a resistant Minho, while also making eye contact with Felix, hoping he takes the hint that it’s time to go. “Minho hyung, Felix, let’s head out. I forgot we have uhh… school!”

The half wolf finally takes back his hand and gestures for the weirded out boy to sit back down. “It’s Saturday and would you calm down, no one is going to harm you.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widen in surprise. “Harm me? I-I’m not worried a-about that, you all seem like lovely people- I mean uhm… _wolves_. So if you’ll excuse me...”

Minho lets out a tired sigh, silently wishing his best friend would just _listen_ to someone for once in his life instead of jumping to conclusions, like he normally does (It really is one of the boy’s biggest flaws.) The older stands up and forcibly pushes the boy back down in his seat by the shoulders and gives him the ‘ _I’m serious, just chill out_ ’ look.

Jeongin blows out a low whistles, watching the scene unfold in front of him. “Wow! You sure do sweat a lot, Hyunjin.” 

Chan quickly leans over and flicks the youth on the thigh. “Innie, _please_.”

“You’re fine, they’re fine and no, they’re not crazy either. What they're saying is true.” Felix gives him a reassuring smile and the older second year decides to finally shut his mouth and listen, even though he’s about five minutes aways from saying ‘ _fuck it’_ and leaving both his friends to the weirdos. “Just let them explain.” Hyunjin watches Felix relax back into his spot beside Changbin, the older intertwining their fingers, and wonders if the two really are imprinted. Hyunjin knows a thing or two (okay, actually quite a bit) about werewolf folklore since he had always found the topic so fascinating, but he’s never come across people who took the fable so seriously until now.

“Hyunjin, my name is Bang Chan and I'm the head alpha and leader of the pack, Stray. This is Woojin, my mate and head omega. I’m assuming you already know Changbin from school, he’s an alpha. The little one here is Jeongin, he's still too young for us to know his ranking, and the one beside him is his older brother Seungmin, he's an omega.”

In his peripheral, Hyunjin catches Woojin leaning his head onto Chan, giving the second year the perfect view of the exquisite tattoo swirling around a set of scars the older male bears. Hyunjin has read about this mark before, has even seen a couple of illustrations of it. It’s a sign of a wolf being mated.

With the utmost curiosity Hyunjin tilts his head just a little to the side only to see the exact same thing on the leaders neck.

_Okay, they weren't kidding._ Hyunjin does everything in his power to stay seated and somewhat remotely calm. _How is any of this even possible, it just doesn’t make sense!_

“You're currently on my pack's territory, safe inside our land. All three of you are extremely lucky no other packs were out patrolling last night. Things might have gone a little differently.”

Minho turns to his best friend and tries to explain what had happened last night. "Hyunjin, you passed out after you ran into a tree, and Felix, well, he and Changbin imprinted. And after all that had gone down, they brought us here; I even carried you on my back."

Woojin notices the face Hyunjin is currently making and mistakes the look as confusion. "So imprinting is kinda like-"

“I've seen _Twilight,_ I think I get the gist of things, but uhm… what happens now? What does this all mean for Felix?”

Jeongin and a few other pack members side-glance the second year, wondering how in the hell _Twilight,_ of all movies, could possibly help the teen understand the complexity of their world, but they brush it off.

“Well not just Felix, but actually all three of you. I want to properly offer each of you a spot in our pack.”

“All three of us?”

Chan nods his head, confirming Felix’s question. "You do not have to decide right away, but know that the offer stands for whenever you're ready-"

"What? Really?" Now this catches Hyunjin’s attention, he didn’t expect Minho or himself to have any part in this, but here they are with the head alpha asking if they would join his pack. The second year knows this is a very serious topic and understands that something like this isn’t just asked out of the blue. But he _also_ can’t help the underlying excitement that comes with the knowledge of supposed mythical creatures, that the teen had studied in secret for years as a hobby, wanting them to join their world.

In fact, the excitement running throughout Hyunjin seems to want and ask as many questions as he possibly can. Since he just found out werewolves are real, the teen might as well ask the questions he’s been dying to know. “Wait wait wait! Serious question. How _old_ are all of you?”

“Why are you asking?” Changbin skeptically questions.

“It’s just that…Okay, I may or may not read a lot about your kind and there was something about wolves having ridiculous life spans because after 21 your aging slows down, like, a shit ton.”

“Read?” Seungmin asks with disbelief dripping from his words. He really should listen to Woojin hyung and not judge everyone based on their looks. Sure, Hyunjin is practically model status when it comes to outer beauty, but the young omega did not expect the teen to also be a closeted mythology nerd. He finds the other male that much more intriguing after knowing such information.

“ _Yes_ , I’m really into folklore and mythology in general, and it just so happens that I know quite a lot about your kind. Well, at least I think I do? I didn’t know that wolves could imprint with humans.”

“Well go on, tell him your ages.” Minho urges, while quickly getting over the shock of his best friend’s secret he so blatantly kept from him, although he feels that his own secret could top Hyunjin’s any day.

“89.” Chan and Woojin answer in unison, followed by Changbin, “46.” then Jeongin, “18.” and finishing with Seungmin. “26.”

Hyunjin stores away the information, but can’t help but stare at Changbin in disbelief. “Why are you in school?! That's basically cheating!”

Felix looks towards the darker haired male, silently agreeing with Hyunjin. “Why don’t you just go to college, you would be less noticeable.”

“I’ve already done that for my teaching degree… twice. And plus, trust me, it's not like I _want_ to be there. I go so I can learn newer information to tutor other wolves in different packs, it’s kinda my job since I’m getting paid. I reenter high school every four years after I complete my three year term. Seungmin was actually my partner in crime for a few years, but our last school wasn't the friendliest. We ended up having to leave halfway through.”

“Why don't you go?” Hyunjin questions the auburn haired boy, who seems bored out of his mind while listening to his hyung’s job description.

“Don't feel like it. Plus, hyung tutorted me throughout the whole year, I practically graduated two years ago.”

Hyunjin makes a face, becoming a little wary of the abnormally smart boy. “Alrighty then…”

Chan claps his hands a couple of times to get the younger boys' attention. The conversation has gone _way_ off track. “Back on topic now. Felix, just because we are offering you a spot and because you are imprinted with Changbin, doesn’t mean you have to move in right away.” The leader tries to reason with the blonde, but by the look the younger is giving Chan, he can tell this is already going to be an argument in the making.

“I-I want to though!”

“What about your grandmother? She won't mind?” Minho brings into account.

Felix looks up in thought before answering. “Well she lives in the town village, along with a bunch of other elders. She'll be fine. Although I do want to make sure we can contact each other.”

“We get cell service on the back porch!” Jeongin adds in excitedly, happy that his family is growing right in front of him. He’s always enjoyed getting to meet new people and the young wolf can feel the three newcomers already growing a place in his heart.

Woojin and Chan look between each other in silent agreement before the leader turns back to Felix with a somber smile, hating that he has to be the bearer of bad news. “For now I think it would be best if you finished your schooling and focused on that before moving out of you grandmother’s place. You’re still welcome here after school and on weekends.” He ends on a hopeful note, but doesn't miss the fleeting frown before the younger schools his expression.

"I guess you're right…" Felix dejectedly states. Changbin however grabs the younger’s hand and laces their fingers together, giving Felix all the reassurance he needs in the moment. Felix squeezes the young alpha’s hand back, signaling how he’s fine and the two fall back into their own little world.

“Even Minho hyung is allowed to stay?” Hyunjin questions out loud.

“About that… I have to tell you two something, and I don't want you to freak out, so just let me explain and I'll answer your questions.”

Both second years nod their heads slowly, desperately wanting to know what Minho has to say.

He tells them everything about being born a half breed. He tells them about his father dying all the way to his mother's sudden death, about the suppressants and how his nanny always told him never to come to the woods because his parents were always scared for him to so much as step a foot inside.

Throughout telling his story Minho notices Hyunjin’s face of betrayal and quiet sulking, but he knows the younger will soon forgive him. He knows he’ll understand.

“What's your real age, hyung?” Felix ponders weakly.

“I'm still only 18.” Both Felix and Hyunjin nod in understanding. “Well only for another week and a half… my birthday is coming up so I guess I’ll know my ranking and power soon.”

“How come you never told us? How come you never told _me_?” Hyunjin feels a little btrayed to say the least, he thought Minho and him were thick as thieves, but it turns out the older was hiding such an important part about himself.

“How could I? Something like this isn't _easy_ and I didn't want to hurt either of you and have you end up leaving. I've had too many people leave, I didn't want to lose the only friends I have.”

Hyunjin purses his lips and thinks about how much of an asshole he’s currently being. Of course that secret isn’t something very light to admit and with those thoughts in mind Hyunjin slips out a quiet 'sorry', only for MInho to tell him it’s completely fine and that he just didn’t know.

“ _Had._ ” Minho and everyone else turn to Jeongin in confusion. “You said you _‘didn’t want to lose the only friends you have’;_ well, I’m your friend now and so is everyone else that’s here. So, now your statement should be _had_ , since you have more friends now.”

Woojin smiles happily at their youngest and redirects his attention back to Minho “He’s right. We are here for you now, Minho. All of us.”

~*~

All three boys go through proper introductions with the other five and ask random questions about one another, simply getting to know each other better and before they know it they’ve been talking for a couple of hours.

Chan asks if anyone would like a snack and when most of the boys are distracted by the sudden promise of food, Woojin takes this moment to get Seungmin’s attention by walking up to where he's sitting.

“Now’s your chance to go and talk to him.” Woojin whispers, referring to Hyunjin. The younger lets out a shaky sigh and realizes that it’s probably better to get this out of the way now instead of later.

Seungmin nods and walks over to where he smells out Hyunjin, thankfully the other male was sitting across from him. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

Hyunjin snorts unattractively. “You're kind of visually impaired right now.”

“It's not far. Plus, I think my senses are a _tad_ better than you probably assume.”

Hyunjin lifts an eyebrow skeptically, but still ends up placing his coat over the borrowed sweats he has on and follows the older male out of the house.

The two boys are around nine meters away from the house and seated comfortably on a large boulder. Far enough where no prying ears can listen, but also close enough to where Hyunjin feels comfortable being alone with Seungmin.

“This is where I come to think sometimes. The view is nice, but I guess it doesn’t really matter right now since I’m blindfolded.” The taller male doesn’t respond so Seungmin decides to continue. “I didn’t mean to scare you this morning. I was just stepping in to check on you… didn’t really think you would wake up in the few seconds I was there."

Both of them quiet down after that, but Seungmin can practically hear the others running thoughts. "You're scared." He simply states.

Hyunjin’s head jerks up quickly. He is not scared of the other per se, but once anyone starts pointing out things like _that_ with no way of even seeing him, it’s going to freak the human out regardless. He’s honestly just nervous in general, about being here in the forest, finding out how very real these supposedly mythical creatures are, and the odd effect this one boy in particular has on him. "How can you tell that?" The second year questions nervously, attempting to mask the quiver in his voice.

"I can smell your sweat."

"Don't make this day any weirder than it has already turned out to be." Hyunjin places his head between his hands and lets out a sigh, feeling way more embarrassed now that he knows the cute boy beside he can smell him perspiring.

"How am I making it weird? I simply stated a fact; you asked how I knew, and I answered you." 

Hyunjin, desperately wanting to change topics, waves both of his hands to stop the other boy from speaking, but quickly remembers the blindfold and how his actions are practically useless because of it. "Nevermind. You're him, aren't you? The boy from the supermarket… who was being bullied?" Finally. Finally Hyunjin gets to ask the question he has been wondering since this morning.

Seungmin’s mouth opens in surprise and then closes it, like he was going to say something, but changed his mind last second. The omega schools his expression before continuing. "That's where I've seen you…" He trails off and brings his hand to his chin in thought. "How is it even possible that I didn't imprint on you then?" The young omega wonders aloud, not really a question to the other boy, but more so for himself.

This causes Hyunjin to do a double take at the other’s choice of words. "W-what?" He was honestly expecting some sort of reasoning behind the bullying or maybe the freak coincidence of them meeting each other again, but that? That, he was not expecting.

“We are mates- or we were going to be mates.”

“ _Were_ ?” Hyunjin screws his eyes shut in confusion and shakes his head in disbelief. “W-wait what?” _This must be why Chan hyung wanted me to join the pack as well. It all makes sense now._

“I'm blindfolded because I don't- I can't make eye contact with you. It will make me imprint and I can't do that to you, Hyunjin.” The omega becomes more frustrated as he speaks, but it’s more so with himself than with the other boy. Seungmin understands how selfish he’s being, but he needs to get Hyunjin to understand him.

“Imprint, like Felix and Changbin?” Hyunjin questions breathlessly.

“Yes. You and I are destined to be with each other, that's what fate has decided. It's, like, written in the stars and a string is connected between the two of us, and all that jazz.”

The second year puts two and two together and now understands why the other boy affects him the way he does. Although it makes Hyunjin wonder why Felix was beyond transfixed by Changbin, but he himself doesn’t react the same way with Seungmin. He'll have to ask about that later… Maybe their bond is broken or something.

“Why?”

“There's no _‘why’,_ it just is _._ We are each others perfect half-”

“No. Why can't you let it happen?” Hyunjin can’t _believe_ himself right now, sure Seungmin is attractive, but in reality he doesn’t really know the guy. So why is he offended that the other male doesn’t want to imprint with him? “Don't I get a say in if I want to be with you o-or get to know you?! If this is _our_ fate then why are you the only one choosing if it can be played out or not? What about me?”

Seungmin drags his teeth along his bottom lip before speaking. “You don't understand.” He very quickly realized that he most likely shouldn’t have phrased his words like that.

“Then _make me_ understand, Seungmin! I want to get to know you, I want to know more about your kind, and how all of this works. I want to be there for Minho hyung and Felix-”

“You have to become one of us or there will be consequences! Those are the options that are going to be given to us if I take this blindfold off, okay?! Do you understand now?”

“No, I don't, because there's something you're leaving out and I know it.” The second year takes a breath to calm his beating heart. He notices Seungmin’s hands trembling on top of his lap and Hyunjin has the urge to reach out and hold them securely, but he doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries. "We need to both calm down and talk this out step by step. I just found out your entire world exists today so I kinda need to be caught up to speed a little, if you don't mind."

“The moment I take this blindfold off and make eye contact with you, I will imprint onto you. We will have a sort of pull towards each other; always wanting to be near the other or a form of protectiveness and need for the other. It will start off small and then grow and grow and grow. It'll never stop.”

Hyunjin watches the boy beside him practically fold in on himself, as if he’s in a way dejected by the thought of the two of them being close to one another. “What won't stop?” The younger questions quietly, afraid that if he spoke any louder Seungmin will completely close him out.

“The love. But with humans it is not the same as if two wolves imprint with each other. It's not that easy. A human and a wolf have a time frame.”

_And there is is._ Hyunjin thinks. “How long and until _what?”_

“The two have maybe half a year to perform a bonding ceremony and become mates. If this isn't done then the wolf dies. And I can't do the bonding ceremony because that means I'll have to turn you into what I am."

Hyunjin is silenced by this new information. He has two options, just like Seungmin stated previously; become one of them or let Seungmin die. Though there’s one thing about Hyunjin that Seungmin has not figured out yet; he never backs down. “Y-you can't just decide that on your own!”

“I'M SCARED! I'm scared t-that you'll change your mind about me when we do imprint and I'm scared that you don't want this kind of life…” Seungmin’s voice is so unbelievably raw with emotion that the taller can't help but let a few stray tears roll down his chilled cheeks. Hyunjin understands now. “Which means I'll die.” The young omega moves his head away almost as if he was ashamed to admit such a selfish thing, but Hyunjin gets it.

The second year so badly wants to reassure Seungmin and tell him that he would never let that happen, that he wants this to work out just as badly. But he can't, not now at least. Hyunjin has too much going on inside his head to make a life changing decision such as this, right here.

Yes, he's curious, yes, he wants to be here to support Minho and Felix, but there's always that _'what if'_. What if Seungmin does imprint and his theories about Hyunjin ditching him are correct? What if Hyunjin realizes he doesn't want to be with him for the rest of his life; he's only 18, for christ's sake!

“Listen, I understand you, okay? How about we at least get to know one another? Maybe if we can do that then it would make this easier- this whole imprinting and mating situation.”

Seungmin lets out a sigh of defeat and rubs a hand along the back of his neck. “Aren't you afraid to become one of us?”

"I don't know yet, I just need some time.” Hyunjin answers in a serious manner and he can tell the other male takes his response just as genuine.

With a nod of his head Seungmin mumbles out a quiet “Okay." and leans back onto his hands, glad the two of them got such a serious conversation out of the way.

"Okay, as in we're okay enough to be friends?" The second year slowly asks.

A smile spreads across the older male's face at Hyunjin’s innocence before he answers. "Yeah." If he wasn’t wearing the blindfold, Seungmin would notice that the taller male is also looking at him with a smile, but not just any smile, one that is all soft around the edges and coated with fondness.

Once Hyunjin realizes he's smiling like a complete fool, the darker haired boy clears his throat and moves to stand up. "Good. Let's head back, I'm pretty sure the three of use need to get going soon anyways."

"You're not staying?"

Hyunjin shakes his head, but remembers the blindfold. "I have to get back home, my parents might be wondering where I went."

The omega’s face scrunches up in confusion. "But you don't have any other scents on you…” Seungmin slowly states out loud, still speculating why the other would lie to him. “Only Minho's and Felix's scents are present, and of course a few of ours have rubbed off on you, but it's expected since you spent the night and some time in our home." The boy beside him grows silent. "Even Felix and Minho have a couple of unknown scents on them, which I'm assuming are from whoever else they have present at their homes, but you… you don't."

Seungmin quickly regrets his words once a wave of bitter and hurt hits his wolf’s sensory. "Just drop it. Please." Hyunjin pleads in a quiet whisper.

_Nothing has really even started yet and you’ve already managed to ruin it, Seungmin! He’s mad at you._ "Do you want me to get Jeongin to at least accompany you back home?" Seungmin makes a weak attempt at salvaging some type of ground. He really didn’t mean to make the younger upset, he was only stating the obvious since there was no use in Hyunjin lying to him. But Seungmin guesses he just really never knows when to back down.

One step forward and two steps back.

The omega senses another wave, but this time it’s of anger and sadness that washes over the human beside him.

"No. I'm fine. Like I said, my parents are probably getting worried by now, so I should go…" And with that Hyunjin moves from his place on the boulder and walks back towards the house.

Seungmin feels the presence of the boy receding further away from him by the second and he quickly understands what longing feels like. "Goodbye, Hyunjin." Even though he can’t hear him, Seungmin whispers out the parting phrase anyways.

He doesn't say his farewells to the other two high-schoolers, simply because he feels like he’ll be in the way. So instead he stays where he is and listens carefully to the conversations happening just inside the house, not even nine meters away. Only when Chan and Changbin guide the three newcomers out out of their territory and out of the woods does Seungmin yank off the blindfold and make his way back inside.

The young omega ignores the stares of confusion and concern from his members and instead walks to his room and tries to get the scent of Hwang Hyunjin off of his mind.

“You were wrong this time, Woojin hyung.” Seungmin mumbles out into his pillow, where his face is currently buried, and his tears have long since dried up.

~*~

Dried leaves that have recently fallen from the trees above crunch underneath the hardened soles of worn hiking boots, as a lone young man trudges through the forest.

He rakes a hand impatiently through his naturally red locks, the strands falling back down onto his forehead- much to his discomfort- and lets a frustrated sigh slip past his lips. “Dumbass. Such a dumbass.” The man speaks aloud even though he knows no one else is around to listen, just wanting to vent about his recent encounter even if that means basically talking to himself.

“Oh _‘You have photographic memory so you don’t need a copy.’_ tch!” The young man uses a mocking tone to mimic the head alpha he just encountered a few minutes ago. “Yeah, well it’s a treaty _contract_ , not some fucking board game instructions. God, could that head alpha use his brain cells for at least five minutes? And I can not believe their _head omega_ was pulling pranks on me _as_ we were having a very important meeting! Clowns… all of them, absolute clowns. I only needed Lim Youngmin’s and his mate Park Woojin’s signatures and I could leave; a simple contract renewal, but no, that would just be too easy. Next time I have to deal with the Ab6ix pack I’m going to need someone to hold me back from jumping off a _cliff!_ ”

The young man's steps suddenly halt and he closes his tired eyes, trying to find some type of mental strength. Okay well, he knows he’s being a bit over dramatic, but the wolf's business trips do not normally last this long. The time away from his own pack is beginning to take a toll on him.

He reopens his eyes and weakly kicks a few nearby pebbles, disturbing the moss growing on top. “Just five more days, Jisung, and you will be back home, in your _own_ bed, and with a _big_ mug of Woojin’s homemade hot cocoa.” The omega lets out one last sigh, brings his head up in determination, and hikes the stuffed bag a bit higher onto his shoulders before he continues to walk forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES JISUNG IS HERE!!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! Likes and words of motivation are ALWAYS welcomed~
> 
> Next Time:  
> -Minho says goodbye to his past  
> -More Changlix~~ (perhaps a kiss^-^)  
> -Seungmin and Hyunjin make amends  
> -Jisung comes home!  
> -Unwelcome Visitors  
> -MINSUNG
> 
> Come follow me on Twitter @CadeIsTrash or follow the story on AsianFanfiction


	4. Not an update

Hello guys, I'm sure everyone has seen the situation regarding Woojins's departure from the group. I'm so unbelievably heart broken that my bias and muse has left Stray Kids, but I just hope everything is okay with Woojin and the rest of Stray Kids.

As for the story I don't know when I'll be able to write again, but definitely not any time soon. Maybe a week or the next or maybe even a month from now.

I can't really even put into words about how this is affecting me.

It's nine or none. I will never leave Kim Woojin behind.

Please everyone be safe and take care of yourselves.

If anyone needs to talk my DMs are open and my Twitter account is in the notes below.

Thank you♡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @CadeIsTrash please DM me on Twitter if you need to talk. I'm here.


	5. Don't Move Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to fix themselves, well, they make an attempt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, DiamondWings, for editing! Go check out her SKZ fics!
> 
> Hi guys! Just want to first say I am back from hiatus and I want to thank you for the supportive comments of the last post- it was not an update but a note explaining way I was taking a break to gather my thoughts on Woojin's departure. I'm all cool now and hoping to get the next chapter out sometime next week or a little after that, depending on how I feel after work lol XD
> 
> Anyways I hope y'all enjoy this MASSIVE 16k update! See you at the end!
> 
> P.S. I have a new TWITTER ACCOUNT @CadeIsTrash My other account (@CadelynIsTrash)is no longer available since it was deleted. I made the account a few months before I turned 13 WAY back when (since I'm 22 now) and twitter just decided to suspend and delete it now. So if you were following me OR you want to follow now PLEASE follow the new account! I'm still trying to find all my followers and mutuals <3

Minho may or may not have lost a hefty stack of  _ very _ important documents. Documents that are needed in an hour so he can sign over his property to its new owner. Documents that Minho hasn't seen since he cleaned up the pigsty of a room he now resides in.

_ "You can place your things here." Chan swings open a door near the end of one of the many hallways and all three boys walk into an- in Minho’s honest opinion- actual disaster site. The third year wouldn't say he is a severe clean freak, but he’s definitely close to it! _

_ Apparently there is only one room that’s home to a bunk bed. That room just so happens to be Jisung's and although Minho is grateful nonetheless for having a place to sleep, he is curious as to why the young man owns a bunk bed. _

_ Even though the appearance of the space seemed unappealing, the younger’s eyebrows lift in surprise once the aroma of the room finally hits him. "It smells oddly nice in here, like oranges.” He actually wanted to say it smells like home, but he would rather not unpack all that emotional baggage on both Chan and Woojin. “But the room itself is so… messy." _

_ Woojin, who’s carefully placing his load of boxes down just like Chan and Minho, takes a look around the spacious room and cringes at the state it’s in. The older actually feels kinda bad for Minho and wishes he had the time to clear out one of the two spare rooms that are strategically filled with, to put it nicely, a bunch of their shit that should actually be in the attic. "Sorry for the clutter, Jisungie is kind of a hoarder." He notices Minho already organizing a few articles of Jisung’s clothing and placing them back into, what he assumes are, their proper homes. If the head omega wasn’t already having second hand embarrassment from Jisung’s blatant lack of cleanliness, he definitely is now. "Oh, you don't have to clean up for him." _

_ "It's fine! If I'm going to be living in the same space as him,-" _

_ "Just until we get the other room cleared out and ready!" The older stresses once again. _

_ "-might as well pick up a bit." He gives Woojin a reassuring smile and successfully gets the older to not worry about the situation. If Minho has to put away a little laundry, clean up a few dirty dishes before heavily vacuuming and dusting a room to get an actual good night's sleep, then so be it. _

_ While Minho busies himself with opening some of his boxes he notices a medium sized ball, with little silhouettes of squirrels decorating the sphere. The ball looks worn and aged, but Minho can't help the small coo that slips as he picks up the toy. "Aww! this is adorable-" _

_ " _ **_Don't touch that!_ ** _ " The two head wolves shout in unison. _

_ Minho lets out a short scream, from surprise, and drops the aged ball on the floor, freezing on the spot once he notices both Chan and Woojin’s distressed facial features. "Why?! Oh, god! What's wrong with it?!" _

_ The pack leader carefully kicks the yellow sphere into a corner of the room with as little contact as possible. "That's Jisung's special ball. He's had that since he was a pup. It just means a lot to him and if he so much as smells a different scent on it he goes berserk." _

_ "It's the only present his parents ever gave him." Woojin adds in softly and Minho lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. _

_ He’s honestly just thankful the ball didn’t relate to something disgusting, instead it’s just a precious object to the young omega. _

_ Minho sinks back down to his knees and searches through the box in front of him. He listens to Woojin and Chan bicker about teaching Jisung proper etiquette of actually keeping his room clean, even if he normally has zero visitors in said space. Minho watches the both of them and gently places down a figurine he was previously holding, then lets out a quiet sigh. The gesture alone causes the two older males to look his way. _

_ "Thank you. Both of you. It means the world to me for what you two have done for not only myself, but for my friends as well. Putting the mansion and most of what was in it up for sale wasn't an easy thing to do, but I know that it was definitely the right thing. I could never repay you-" _

_ "No repay is necessary.” The leader of the pack cuts off his sentence. “You are a part of our family now and we are happy to help in any way possible.” Chan looks over towards his mate in silent agreement to what he had just stated and the older nods along. _

_ “You don't have to think of us as your parents, but we'll always be there for you in any way we can, Minho." Woojin casts a warm smile in his direction and continues to move around random objects and clear away some space for the younger’s belongings. _

_ Chan grips Minho’s shoulder and pats the youth a couple of times before moving over to a box labeled ‘Sheets’. "Come on, we'll help you set your things up." _

That was three days ago. So in retrospect, Minho hasn't seen the documents in 72 hours; To say the third year is a little on edge would be a major understatement.

It's a Wednesday afternoon, five days after meeting the Stray pack, and Minho only just came back to the pack house minutes ago with Felix and Changbin in tow. The three left Hyunjin behind due to the latter's odd behavior about wanting to ‘ _ stay away from Seungmin for the time being _ ’. The statement itself caused confusion amongst them but the tall second year reassured them that it's nothing they can help him with, so ultimately they dropped the topic.

"Can I ask you something about Hyunjin?"

Minho takes a short glance towards Seungmin who's standing awkwardly in the doorway. "I guess." He announces slightly annoyed and then whispers a quick ‘ _ where are those damn papers? _ ’ under his breath.

He doesn’t really have time to play twenty questions with Seungmin, of all people, right now. Minho still doesn't fancy Seungmin  _ only _ because the omega seems to bring out an unwanted attitude from Hyunjin and if there's one person in this world Minho's most protective of, it's him. Although, Felix and himself have also grown close in the few weeks he's known the Australian boy, so in retrospect he counts as well. Okay, maybe that’s not completely the reason why he’s acting so irritated with the younger; It also has to do with the fact that Minho has not taken any suppressants in two days. He’s slowly trying to get off of them, but just like Woojin warned him ‘ _ To just suddenly stop taking them completely would be harmful, so you’ll have to do so in increments. Think of it as someone who’s quitting smoking; It’s hard to quit cold turkey. _ ’ So now not only is Minho overwhelmed by the fact that he’s lost something of importance, annoyed about Hyunjin and Seungmin’s situation, he’s also having pretty rapid mood swings with the loss of his suppressants to add on top of all of that.

"Does he live alone?"

Minho pauses his movements and schools his panicked expression, the question throwing him for a loop.

"What gives you that idea?" The third year asks coolly. He knows about Hyunjin's situation all too well and it's a topic he never likes to bring up, only because it causes the half breed's blood pressure to rise to an unhealthy level.

Seungmin can't read Minho at all due to the younger's half breed status, so ultimately the omega needs to be discreet as possible while attempting to get this information. However, Seungmin's nerves still run just as rapid. Hyunjins's home life appears to be a touchy subject and the older knows he shouldn't put his nose where it doesn't belong, but what can he say? He cares about the taller male.

_ He cares about Hyunjin _ .

_ Oh. _

That's definitely not something Seungmin thought he would admit to himself so quickly. He has a passing thought about if the other feels the same, but he immediately dismisses it just as fast.

The omega runs his teeth along his bottom lip while looking around the room that surprisingly looks nothing like it had just three days prior. Nope, it looks too clean for being the trash pit Jisung normally holes himself in- and does the redhead even own any candles? Where the hell did those come from?! "Nothing. Just curious."

Minho continues to frantically look around the room, acting as if Seungmin isn't trying to have a civil conversation with him for once. But, to the omega's annoyance, Minho seems too immersed in whatever he's trying to find to give Seungmin the time of day.

Rolling his eyes, the spectacled man impatiently clears his throat, attempting to get the younger's attention, which it definitely does.

"I think you should ask  _ him  _ yourself." Minho practically snaps at the agitated omega, only resulting in the other male to become even more annoyed. He lifts up a discarded sweater from the closet and let's a small  _ 'thank god' _ slip past his lips the second he picks up the important stack of documents, completely dismissing the oddness in it's placement. The third year then pushes past Seungmin and makes his way downstairs, ignoring the frustrated huff from the older and the footsteps that quickly follow.

"Do you really think I would be asking you if I haven't already tried talking to him? He won't really tell me about his home life-”

Minho spins around so fast it not only cuts the omega off, but also stops him in his tracks. "And there's a reason for that. Have you ever thought that  _ maybe  _ he's not telling you because he's not comfortable talking about it? Hm? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to meet with some realtors."

"God you are  _ such _ a prick, you know that?"

"Takes one to know one, Seungmin. Takes one to know one." Minho smirks back once more at the, now very heated, omega and begins to put on his coat. Seungmin lets a low growl rumble in his throat while staring down the unbothered boy in front of him.

"Alright! You two, drop it." Chan walks into the living room, already annoyed by the two younger boys.

This had been going on for the past couple of days, Seungmin and Minho arguing that is, and the leader has had  _ enough _ .

"You've both been at each other's throats ever since that night in the woods. How about we try to be  _ kind _ to one another for a change. We're all going to be living as a family from now on and I expect you both to treat each other as such. No more hostile and backhanded comments, please."

Sometimes Chan believes that he’s housing actual 5 year olds instead of a 18 and a 26 year old.

Minho has actually been getting along wonderfully with Jeongin, both of them finding a mutual love for the greenhouse outback and through Jeongin’s collection of manga. Changbin and Minho have also adjusted to each other perfectly fine, with the older of the two going to the same school and being a teacher of sorts, he helps Minho with any school related questions and after dinner the two enjoy exercising at the in-house gym located in the basement.

So for the life of him, Chan can’t quite understand why Seungmin and Minho are so standoffish with each other, but he’s gonna take a swing in the dark and assume it has to do with Minho’s best friend and Seungmin’s (hopefully) future mate being the same guy. Chan also thinks this in itself would actually bring the two of them closer, but he guesses one can only hope it would be that way.

Woojin finally appears downstairs, dressed smartly, and ready to meet with Minho's realtors. The head omega notices the stern look stamped upon his mate's face and the, not so surprising, stare off between Minho and Seungmin. Woojin immediately understands what’s going on since this has happened more times than he would like to admit.

"Seungmin. Minho. You know Channie doesn’t like to use his alpha voice for a reason, obey the first time he asks." Woojin warns sternly.

The room is eerily silent until Seungmin looks between his two parent figures and lets out a low growl along with a quiet ' _ whatever'  _ before sharply turning back around to head to his room. The three remaining men startle once the sound of a door slamming wrecks throughout the house, breaking the suffocating atmosphere along with it.

“He’ll come around. It just takes Seungmin some time to warm up to others, but you two  _ really  _ need to stop with the petty arguments. I don't know, find some type of common ground or similar interests. The pack can’t take the stress of the two of you arguing every time you’re both in the same room. Plus, we need to initiate you into the pack and having both of you on bad terms makes it difficult to do the process. Yes, we’re still going to wait and do it when Jisung gets back, but perhaps in the mean time you two can become,  _ at the very least,  _ friends.” Chan opens the front door and pats Minho reassuringly on the shoulder as the three of them walk out.

Once a notable amount of distance has been made and the trio reaches the treeline, Woojin releases a squeal of excitement. “I’m really interested in seeing what your house looks like! From what you told us, it should be quite something.”

“Hyung, it’s really not all that great.” The young half breed scratches behind his head in doubt that his, now previous, home could meet any of the wonderment that the older omega seems to have in mind. Minho had let both Chan and Woojin know everything about the Lee Mansion; Where the place was built, how much it was on the market for, the age of the house, how many workers had been employed there and what their pay was.

Bringing up the gist of the mansion had also brought back unwanted memories. Minho has never felt as if the Mansion was a place of comfort, well not since his mother’s passing, but those memories are far and few; Barely remembering what it was like with just him and his mom. But that feeling is something he never has to worry about again. Especially since Minho now has a new family and a permanent home, filled with welcoming arms.

He's not alone.

"Ah, nonsense!" Woojin’s upbeat voice carries the younger boy out of his thoughts. “I’ve always wanted to live in a huge mansion with lots of children running around! Right, Channie?” The ashy blonde male widens his eyes in a puppyish stare- one could even consider the look lovingly- so unabashedly  _ fond _ . The look only brings a ping of jealousy promptly followed by slight annoyance to the third year. 

Chan hums in agreement to what Woojin had said. “You did say that when we were still just imprinted with each other. We'll get there one day, love." Chan links his slim fingers with the older and lifts his unoccupied arm up to flag down a taxi once they reach city limits.

“Now I know what Innie means when he mentions how much of a third wheel someone can feel like when they're around you two.” Minho mumbles out while he waits for the older males to climb into the taxi once one pulls over. He honestly didn’t think that either of them had heard him, but Minho constantly forgets that he’s around his own kind that also possesses the ability to have greater hearing than that of a human; Whom of which Minho previously spent most of his time around.

Woojin had spun around so fast to bonk the young male across his head that Minho didn’t even have time to reflect on the action before he was being dragged inside the taxi. Too stunned to move from the quick action. “Oh, hush! We are a delight to be around.”

~*~

With each intake of breath Felix’s heart beats just that much faster as he runs to keep pace with Changbin. The blonde’s feet come down onto the forest floor and back up just as quickly, causing a trail of dried leaves and dirt to kick up behind him. As they run, although with a purpose, Felix is more than sure the older man knows where they’re heading and Felix is always willing to follow the young man in front of him.

When the two had made it back to the house after school, along with Minho of course, Felix and Changbin left shortly after. Both of them had wanted to take a little stroll and to possibly get away from Minho’s frantic search for some documents.

It started out as a peaceful walk, it really did, but not even 5 meters from the front porch and Changbin had transformed into his wolf form. The ebony wolf had moved his large muzzle to nudge Felix against his stomach signaling the boy to follow him. Both of them had only made it a few steps before Felix looked into the wolf’s eyes with a mischievous glint, the stare alone setting the two of them off into a playful run.

Felix has always enjoyed running, even back in his hometown the blonde woke up early most mornings for a jog. So running alongside Changbin in a gorgeous setting like this one has the boy feeling as if he’s currently on cloud nine. 

Changbin pounces down onto the forest ground, cutting left and right without really moving anywhere, while he waits for Felix to catch up, only to bolt off again once the blonde draws closer.

Felix runs for awhile longer and steadily comes to a tiring walk, attempting to catch his breath, and thriving in the minuscule stinging going on in the back of his throat with each inhale.  _ This is what it’s like to feel utterly alive. _

The blonde smiles lightly and calls out to a distant Changbin. “Alright, now you’re just showing off!” Felix huffs out after coming to a complete stop. He then walks over to a nearby oak tree that sits close to a ledge and where the ground surrounding the timber looks to be oddly plush for the time of year; Fall is supposed to be where the surrounding nature begins to die off so it can be reborn again in spring, but Felix doesn't question the oddness of it and sits down with a light breath.

Changbin transforms back and sits a few inches away from Felix, bumping their clothed knees together and simply leaving them there just for the sake of having a part of them touch. The two talk about mundane subjects, like their favorite films and types of music, just getting to know the little things about one another. The conversation dies down after sometime, when the sun already begins to move closer to dusk, but the boys do not mind, having already found mutual comfort by just enjoying each other's presence.

“Why do you close yourself off so much in school?” Felix questions quietly as if to not disturb the peaceful atmosphere the two have built between them.

The blonde watches as Changbin fiddles with a few pieces of grass between his crossed legs, refusing to look back at him.

“I don’t like getting too attached to people that I’ll eventually watch grow older than me. Or hurt them by simply disappearing from their lives without a trace once I have to go into hiding to avoid any suspicion. Also, humans don’t really need to know about our existence, unless fate wants them to.” He finally looks up towards Felix, the latter showing nothing but understanding across his face. He continues “And because of what happened with Seungmin, I do not trust most humans any longer.” The blonde lifts his brows in concern, silently questioning  _ 'why' _ , but Changbin quickly runs a thumb across the scrunched up skin; wanting to ease the younger into getting rid of such a facial feature. "You and Hyunjin are exceptions, of course.”

Wanting to desperately change the subject, Changbin asks a question he's been wondering for the past couple of days. "So it doesn’t bother you that I’m technically way older than you? You know being alive for 46 years and all.”

Changbin looks away from the blonde’s gaze and purses his lips in a childish pout. The adorable act brings a soft smile to Felix’s face and after a few seconds of relishing in the antics of Seo Changbin, Felix pats the older male’s knee a few times to get the alpha to look back at him.

“But your aging slowed down at 21, so  _ technically  _ you're not 46. I don’t find it weird at all, why do you ask?”

Changbin shyly looks back at the boy sitting beside him and realizes just how mature and understanding Felix actually is. “Just curious, that’s all.” A few silent beats pass between the two and Felix even goes back to messing around with a few rocks he found, before Changbin breaks the silence and lets out a quiet whine. “... Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure, you clown. What’s gotten into you? Is something bothering you, hyung?”

“No, it’s just… I don't know, others might find it weird."

"Well good thing  _ 'others'  _ aren't the ones imprinted with you- I am and I said I don't mind." Felix gives the boy beside a full staredown from top to bottom. "Plus, you really dont even look a day over 18, if I'm being honest. Hey let’s not talk about it anymore, okay?” Changbin sighs for the umpteenth time and nods his head reluctantly while Felix continues. “You like to read? I always see you reading in school."

"Ah. Yeah I guess? Seungmin's way more into books than I am, but I really just wanted to finish this series he let me borrow. Plus, it's a good distraction for when I'm at school, helps me tune out the students emotions that I can sense." A shiver runs down the alpha’s spine at just the thought of all the whacked feelings from all the younger humans.

"Yeah that's gotta suck having to be around so many angsty teens all of the time."

"It could be worse."

Felix lets out an unattractive snort. "Do please tell me how it can get worse than that."

"Well, all wolves can sense others emotions pretty well to begin with, correct? So add that with super hearing and constantly being able to listen to  _ every  _ conversation, even if you don't want to. That's what Seungmin used to deal with when he went to our last high school. He heard a lot of fucked up shit… a lot of it was about himself." Felix nods his head in understanding and frowns in pity of the omega’s past situation. "Anyways, that's a sad story and I can feel you getting emotional just from me talking about it."

Even though Changbin was right and Felix definitely is feeling quite strong emotions for Seungmin’s past, he’s still interested in the topic of their powers. “How does Seungmin's power work exactly?”

“He can hear up to around eight to eleven kilometers depending on how well he's concentrating. It's not only distance that he can hear, but also little things you wouldn't even think of, like, the blood circulating through us, or a single pebble rolling along a roof. The most minuscule of things; Seungmin can hear all of it.”

"What about everyone else? What's their power?"

“Woojin hyung has subjective precognition. I can’t even count the amount of times he has saved all of our asses, thanks to his gift alone. Although I will admit, he always has this  _ look _ in his eyes that scream 'I know exactly what's about to happen' and that can be a little scary at times.”

He continues. “Chan hyung is an empath. He can feel the exact emotions and intentions of anyone or anything he touches, but he's gotten pretty good at just  _ looking  _ at someone and knowing what they're feeling or wanting. He’s able to differentiate between someone's feelings by seeing colors and feeling different sorts of tingles- at least that’s how he explains it, I myself still don’t understand. But he never uses it unless a situation calls for it or he's just worried about someone. Hyung would never interfere with others' feelings."

The younger alpha remembers a time when Chan brought all of them into the living room one evening, Woojin sitting quietly by his side, and they had a pack (more like family) meeting. The topic, you may be wondering? It was about who had switched out all the photos in the house- quite a lot by the way- with pictures of a not so pretty, sleeping Chan. And also who spent an outrageous amount of money on the family credit card that is supposed to be used for emergencies only, but had instead been used for what looked to be a shopping spree. It was then that the head alpha gave all four boys a fair chance to fess up to their wrong doings, but low and behold not a soul confessed which led to Chan using his powers. That was one scary night he’ll never forget.

Changbin perks up a bit, remembering something. "Since our power can evolve, they say that being mated can also enhance your abilities or change them slightly. That's most likely the reason Channie hyung can simply look at someone instead of touching them."

“And Jeongin and Minho will know once they're 19, right?” Felix muses out loud while staring off and thinking about just how cool all of this actually is. He’s a nerd, what can he say.

“Yep, that's correct, although it’s quite common to have, like, an inkling or lets say a little quirk about yourself that will ultimately become your full power. Take Seungmin for instance, he always had problems with hearing; Sounds would be slightly distorted or they would be overbearingly loud, even for him."

“How about you, Binnie?”

Changbin’s eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by Felix’s question and of course the nickname. "My power?" The blonde looks back at him with a laid back smile and nods his head. “I-I can...well, it's easier to show you. Stay right here.” The young alpha gets up and walks a few meters until he finds what he's looking for. He carefully plucks the object from the earth and returns back to his previous spot with his hands clutched around something.

Felix cranes his head to look at what the other has brought back with him. “A dead flower?” He tilts his head in confusion. 

Most of the smaller petals have already fallen off and the stem droops so far over that the remaining petals almost touch it. Felix can see just how rough the wild flower has become, noticing the once yellow and pink colors now show faintly.

“Hold it.” Changbin gently places the wilted flower into Felix’s open palms and glances back up at the blonde, a little nervous. “Don't move, okay?”

Felix nods his head and watches Changbin reach his index finger out and touch the stem, barely applying any pressure at all. The alpha closes his eyes and lifts his head slightly.

Right before his eyes, Felix gawks at the scene in front of him.

The flower suddenly blooms back to life, starting at the bottom of the stem and crawling up to the top of each petal. The transformation couldn't have lasted any longer than a couple of seconds, but seeing such a thing for the first time, Felix felt like it was much longer.

“That's amazing.” The blonde exclaims in wonderment.

Changbin giggles at the sight of Felix examining the flower with curiosity. “I can only do it with little things right now, like plants, bugs, and small animals.” He explains as if the act in itself isn’t that special. “But if I'm not concentrating enough, it does the opposite effect…”

The blonde rips his gaze away from the flower, a little stunned from the others comment. “Like- like killing it?”

“Yeah.” Both of them stare at each other with two different expressions, one of nervousness with a hint of shame and the other of shock. “Does that scare you?” Changbin’s voice couldn't have been any louder than a tiny whisper, completely scared of the younger's reaction to the newfound information.

Changbin has always been hesitant to show this side of himself in front of people who don’t know about his powers. Because, well, these are the same powers that got him removed from his original pack. The same powers that left him wandering alone in the woods for two years because the packs back then weren’t as kind and forgiving of lone wolves as they are now. The same powers that can hurt and destroy innocent creatures if he isn’t careful. And he knows once he and Felix do eventually complete their bonding ceremony, his powers will only become stronger and thus allowing him to move onto bigger things, like people.

Lost in his thoughts, Changbin doesn’t even notice the hand that’s rested upon his cheek, until a thumb begins to rub ever so gently under his right eye. He stares at Felix while the blonde thinks of what to say.

“No.” The younger firmly states. “No, I’m not scared. This is just a part of you and  _ you  _ do not scare me, hyung.”

“Lix… You know, I've killed people.” Sure when Changbin says ‘people’ what he really wants to say is ‘Out of defence!’ or ‘Hunters that have killed and wanted to kill me too’ and ‘I would never kill if I didn’t have to!’, but that would only make it seem as if he was giving excuses as to why he ended a human’s life. “A lot of bad people.” He emphasizes once more, but Felix still doesn't remove his hand or back away in the slightest.

“I'm sure you've had your reasons.” The blonde inches a bit closer, the space between them closing just a little more, allowing their breaths to intermingle.

Changbin takes notice of the, now setting, sunlight bouncing off the top of Felix’s head and how absolutely stunning the younger looks at the moment; Hooded eyelids, pink dusted freckles, and a halo of gold circling the lighter blonde hair. The alpha takes a stuttering breath. “How can you be so sure?”

Without hesitation, “I just know.” Felix answers unmoving.

He doesn’t know what comes over him, maybe it's the understanding the two now have of each other, or that the boy in front of him looks like an actual deity, or maybe it’s because he truly just wants this, but Changbin can’t help but ask. “Can I kiss you?”

The blonde’s breath and heart quicken all at once as he whispers out a quiet  _ ‘yes’ _ , and the two completely let go. They mold into each other like they were made specifically to do so, lips starting out soft and then finding a rhythm of their own. Neither of them have any experience in the field of intimacy to this degree, so the kiss is by no means perfect, but both Changbin and Felix could not ask for anything more at this moment. 

And it’s there, under a tall oak tree, with the sun barely hanging at the edge of the sky, that the two share their first kiss.

~*~

“Whoa. Now this…this is way bigger than I was expecting.” The pack leader lets out a low whistle while eyeing the massive house.

The property alone goes on for quite a bit of distance, caged up in iron fences that are decorated with intricate designs, and every meter of lawn seems to have  _ some _ type of greenery that's been beautifully kept up with. However, the grand home is what takes the cake for design. It's traditional yet modern at the same time and anyone who even glances at the building's direction can sense just how wealthy one has to be to even think about owning it.

But something feels off about the mansion in Chan's opinion; It feels too fake, as if it was purposefully built with a certain intention and presenting itself in a specific way. Very odd.

"Real inviting, right?" Minho sarcastically mutters under his breath while unlocking the front double doors.

All three of them shuffle inside, escaping the citing temperature, and while Minho makes haste of turning on some lights, Chan and Woojin begin to inspect the grand space.

Chandeliers hang in almost every room accompanied by mahogany pillars with simple designs, mostly engraved with leaves and swirls. Everything is immaculately spotless, as if the staff that had been hired here for all these years only tidied up throughout their whole shifts; Not a single speck of dust or dirt in sight.

And even though there is currently no furniture or even so much as drapery, Chan can already assume that the space would be even more gorgeous with the expensive luxuries decorating it.

“I can’t believe you already have a buyer.” Woojin looks around in awe as he slowly makes his way through the foyer.

Minho smiles at the head wolves' reactions to his previous home. It’s nothing new, seeing everyone gawk, but with the knowledge of how old the two males are and simply seeing the look of wonderment and amazement on them really strikes a chord. “People have been wanting this place for years.” The third year makes his way to the kitchen, turning on more lights along the way, when his phone buzzes to life in his pocket.

Minho doesn't recognize the number, but answers out of curiosity anyways. "Hello?"

" _Master_ _Minho?" A frail voice questions lightly._

The half breed raises his eyebrows in surprise, while also feeling a pang of nostalgia. "Mrs. Cha?"

He hasn't heard or seen his nanny, Mrs. Cha, in a little over three years. Minho remembers when she resigned like it was just yesterday; The situation was a sudden one, no one saw it coming. The woman had always been quite fond of Minho and was the only person still alive that knew about his situation in general. She was also the person who taught Minho the importance of never stepping foot into the forest he now lives in, stating that it was one of his parents last wishes that he never did so.

" _ It's been awhile, my dear. I saw that you've placed the mansion on the market."  _ The older woman continues the conversation as if it was a casual chit chat between two old friends.

The normalcy of it all catches the half breed completely off guard, almost rendering him speechless. Almost. "Uhm, yeah- yes, I'm actually signing papers today for the new owner.” Minho leans against the granite island stationed in the middle of the kitchen and cranes his head to make sure Chan and Woojin aren't nearby. “I… I finally found a place where I belong, Miss. Cha. A pack has offered me a spot and it’s such a long story about how it all happened, but they’re an amazing group."

" _I'm so happy for you, dear. You deserve to have a family, just like everyone else."_ She praises softly before letting out weak coughs, which makes red flags pop up in Minho’s vision. Could Mrs. Cha have been sick this entire time? Is that why she left? _"I actually called to tell you that I have something to give you. It's a letter from your mother and father. I was told to give it to you on your 21st birthday, but I think you're ready now_. _You are almost 19, after all. Plus I'm not sure I'll be around this city for much longer, so I wanted to catch you before I left._ "

"Oh… wow. Okay, uhm, I'll be done here in an hour or so, I can meet up with you then?"

The two decide on a spot to meet at and Minho ends the call feeling all types of things; Nostalgia, nervousness, curiosity, and a bit of sadness.

He lifts his backside off the island and goes back out of the kitchen to look for the two head wolves. Minho finds them in a parlor, looking around like they have been doing since they got here. "If it’s not too much trouble, I actually need to meet up with someone after this, do you mind going with me, Woojin and Chan hyung?"

The two look between each other, in silent agreement, and answer in unison. "Not at all."

Woojin is about to ask who called, but he hears a car door shutting outside and two sets footsteps approaching the front door. "Minho, the realtors are here." The omega states out loud mere seconds before a doorbell chimes off.

The half breed nods his head and brushes off the nonexistent dust from his pants before straightening back up. "Right. This won't take too long."

Both Chan and Woojin nod their heads and wave off Minho as the boy moves to the entrance, lets the two men inside, and walks with the realtors to somewhere more private to talk about the paperwork.

The two head wolves then quickly get down to business in finding out some clues regarding Minho’s parents or at least about his father. They both carefully examine all and any woodwork around the house, but it's only when the two meet back up at the grand fireplace do they begin to communicate through their bond.

" _ So this must be the woodwork he mentioned the other day."  _ Chan runs a hand along the aged wood and steps back to look at the scene fully.

Woojin moves to stand beside his mate and also takes a better look at the mural.  _ "I saw the same thing along the stairs, just like he said." _

Both of them stare at the scene before them.

There are about a hundred figures that can be described as people, with a few variations of them altering in appearance. Some have guns in their hands, some with knives, and others with what appears to be spears. Then there are wolves and they too also range in size and design. It clearly depicts a battle, but for the life of the two head wolves they can not figure out when this took place or even who anyone is on this mural.

_ "Geez, this is actually kind of violent just to have around the house…"  _ Chan winces once his eyes land on another headless man and another wolf being stabbed.

_ "You got that right, Channie." _

_ "It still doesn't tell us much…"  _ The leader lets out another sigh and runs a tired hand through his silver locks.

_ "Should we take pictures, just in case?" _

_ The alpha gives an affirmative hum and walks to another part of the fireplace while Woojin begins to photograph with his phone. _

_ "Wait, Chan! Look at this. What does that pattern look like to you?" _

_ He looks to where Woojin has his finger placed and studies the pattern. "A pack symbol, but I've never seen one quite like that before. Take a picture of it, we'll have to talk with Jinyoung or Mark about this." _

Mere seconds after discovering the symbol, both Chan and Woojin's ears perk up at the sound of approaching footsteps. They turn to notice a relieved looking Minho.

"You all done?"

Minho smiles at Woojin and waves around a single piece of paper, most likely another document of sorts. At least he didn't have to keep the ungodly stack of papers he arrived with.

"Yep, just need to check all the rooms before I go and I'm officially not the owner." He lets out another sigh and waves for both Chan and Woojin to follow him.

The three are strolling along the second floor, when Woojin looks towards a solemn looking Minho. "Are you going to miss this place? Even just a little?"

The third year stops in front of a door and hesitantly opens it. "I guess the only thing I would truly miss is my mother's room…" He looks inside the cramped space and closes the door, moving on to the next, explaining his answer along the way. "It's dumb, but the whole room just smells like  _ her _ . I used to go and just sit there by myself when I was younger. Her scent always made me think of home and comfort, like I could finally relax and just breathe."

"It's not dumb, Minho. She was your mother after all."

Minho turns around and turns his lips up in a shy smile before moving forward.

They come up to the last room and surprisingly this one has a set of double doors. Both Chan and Woojin exchange a look when Minho takes a breath before entering and gestures for the both of them to follow inside.

Chan's eyes widen, unable to control his surprised facial features like his mate beside him is doing so well. The smell surrounds the entire room, coating every single centimeter. "Sage and oranges." Yes, the scent is, without a doubt, shockingly similar to Jisung's. It all makes sense as to why Minho found the omega’s room so welcoming, despite the initial clutter and disorganization of said space.

Chan and Woojin look between each other, trying to understand the why of it all. Of course it's not an exact copy and paste, but if someone of their kind simply passed by, then one would think it's Jisung; His signature earthy orange scent unmistakably noticeable whenever he’s near.

Everyone and everything has their own unique scent, one never being the same. But maybe this one case just so happens to be an exception, a ratification to the rules.

Minho looks around the grand room with a serene smile, "Yeah… her scent smelt like sage and oranges." taking in the smell of his mother one last time.

The two head wolves decide to keep the initial reactions and opinions to themselves, letting Minho have this fleeting moment.

After leaving the keys to the mansion with the two realtors, Minho walks out to where Chan and Woojin are waiting for him outside. He looks back once more over his shoulder at the home that was once his and thinks of one more passing thought. Just one.

“ _ Maybe I’ll never really have to say goodbye to what feels like tranquility in the form of my mother’s scent.” _

When the sun has long since set and the night breeze begins to drip into warm coats, the trio finds themselves at a semi popular cafe; Bustling with enough business to have customers in and out every couple of minutes and three or more sitting inside to take advantage of the calm setting. 

Miss. Cha shows up when Minho has already finished a warm cup of tea, attempting to ease his nervousness, but there’s only so much a simple brew can cure. The two share a long embrace, leaving the two head wolves at the table feeling like they’re invading a private moment, but both Minho and Miss. Cha reassure them that it is fine. They introduce themselves and announce that they’d rather wait elsewhere while the two have their conversation, which only causes the older woman to wave a dismissive hand.

“That won’t be necessary, I’m simply here to deliver the letter. I don’t believe in catching up, it makes me feel older than I already do. Plus, I can tell that any questions I had were already answered just by looking at the three of you.” The elder pats Minho between his shoulder blades and he can’t help, but think that she really has never changed; Always as straightforward as ever, never wanting to waste a single second.

Staying true to her words the whole meeting is done in minutes and it’s not until late into the night does Minho come to the splitting decision of whether or not he should read the letter.

He stares blankly at the aged envelope, thinking just how unprepared for what his parents thought he didn’t need to read until the age of 21. What if it contains some life changing information? Minho  _ just  _ went through quite a few changes and he’s not too sure he can go through anymore so soon. The third year turns over to lay on his side with a huff and brings the letter towards his chest, deep in thought, continuously going back and forth with whether to open it or not.

His eyes hurt from forcing himself to stay awake and the lamp on top the bedside table is starting to give him a headache from the constant warm glow its emitting. The only thing keeping him remotely sane at such an hour is the familiar scent wrapping around the borrowed space.

Minho reluctantly decides to place the letter carefully onto Jisung's dresser, without reading it, and attempts to go to sleep. But it's hard to even do that, his mind racing to know what's in the sealed letter. Sometime between 3am and 4am Minho does eventually find sleep.

~*~

The following day is when Hyunjin finally cracks.

He's been at home for about twenty minutes when the silence practically eats him whole.

Hyunjin has been avoiding the pack house like the plague and anytime an offer to visit said house arises, the second year immediately shuts it down. It's also starting to bother him that if he  _ does  _ want to hang out with Minho or Felix the two are most likely at the very place Hyunjin is trying to avoid. Not only that, but since Minho actually moved into the pack house it really was only a matter of time until the boy had caved, since only seeing his best friend at school would never suffice.

Today just so happens to be the day.

He's thought about it once or twice, apologizing to Seungmin that is, for the way he acted towards him. The guilt had eaten Hyunjin alive long enough for him to understand that  _ he  _ was the one who blew the situation out of proportion and it was  _ him _ who has been putting off the apology because of his own stupid pride.

Hyunjin felt that he really needed to stop doing that and actually deal with his problems for once in his life instead of running away from them.

So that's why the second year is currently pacing around his quaint living room, cell phone in hand, attempting to build up enough courage to press dial on a certain head alpha's number.

All of them had exchanged numbers after their ‘little talk’ almost a week ago, just in case they needed anything and to give the pack a heads up before coming.

Once some courage had finally manifested, Hyunjin looks out his balcony window and prays that he doesn't mess this up. He brings his cell up against his ear, a dangling earring clacks off the side of the phone, and Hyunjin nervously bites his thumb nail, waiting for the line to connect.

The line rings a couple times before the second year hears Chan fumble around with something and clears his throat before answering. " _ Hey, Hyunjin, what's up? _ "

"I, uhm…” Hyunjin clears his throat and tries to figure out why the hell this is so difficult for him to do. He’s never really been one to make phone calls, always preferring to text someone instead. “Can I come over, hyung? I know it's a little bothersome since you have to come get me at the forest entrance and bring me to the pack house like some escort, but I really want to talk with Seungmin." The words spew out so fast that Hyunjin has to take a rather embarrassing deep breath at the end, but the younger’s worries practically melt away when a soft and understanding giggle can be heard on the other line.

" _ It's fine Hyunjinnie! You can come over whenever you want, just as long as you call us ahead of time. _ " He reminds the younger and Hyunjin honestly can't understand why he was so nervous to call Chan in the first place.

"Thanks, hyung."

" _ Not a problem. See you in a bit. _ "

After ending the call, Hyunjin rakes a hand through his hair and flops on the couch with a groan.

Just as promised, Chan meets Hyunjin on the outskirts of the forest. When he arrives, the younger is kicking around pieces of loose gravel, dressed in a casual cream sweater and a coat, patiently waiting. They exchange smiles and of course Chan goes in for a hug that Hyunjin gladly accepts.

The two however do not walk back to the house, instead Chan arrives in an old pickup truck that barely looks like it runs properly. The older explains that there’s a handful of trails smooth and wide enough for them to use vehicles on and it just so happens that one of them runs along their territory. Hyunjin passive-aggressively ponders why the hell they didn’t use the vehicle the first time they had to make the trek back out, but climbs into the truck just grateful he doesn't have to walk the 8 kilometers.

They drive along at a steady pace, with the alpha doing most of the talking and trying his very best to make things as comfortable as possible, which Hyunjin is thankful for. The younger really doesn't have it in him to keep a conversation going with the amount of clutter clogging his brain. Clearly the second year is too concerned about how his little talk with Seungmin will turn out.

Once inside the cozy home, Chan stops him by patting his shoulder a couple of times. "He's in his room, I'll let him know you're here so he can get prepared."

Right… Seungmin has to be blindfolded if he's willing to be around him, because the older doesn't want to imprint.

Chan comes back halfway down the stairs and waves for Hyunjin to follow, leaving him by the correct door, and wandering off to do some  _ 'at home business work'  _ according to the older.

_ "Alright I got this, it's only Seungmin. Oh god that just made it worse…"  _ Hyunjin raps his knuckles against the door and hesitantly walks in after a tiny ' _ come in' _ sounds from inside.

Sitting cross legged upon his perfectly made bed is a calm looking Seungmin. He's wearing a comfortable pair of grey joggers and a maroon hoodie with a college logo Hyunjin has never seen before and judging by the book across his lap the younger assumes Seungmin was reading moments before he showed up. Of course the next thing he notices is the blindfold placed snugly around Seungmin’s eyes and Hyunjin becomes hyper aware of, well, everything.

"Hey." Hyunjin closes the door behind him and casually sits down on a large bean bag adjacent to Seungmin. The filling makes sound as it gives way to Hyunjin's weight and just as the younger attempts to get comfortable Seungmin places the book on his bedside table and slides down onto the floor himself. The older man lets out a small  _ ‘Hi’  _ while he mindlessly fidgets with his hoodie strings.

Hyunjin waits for him to say anything more, but nothing ever comes. So, with a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart, Hyunjin begins. "Seungmin, I'm sorry I got mad at you the other day and just left like I did. You don't even know  _ why  _ I was mad and I came over today because I want to let you know why I reacted the way I did."

"Hyunjin, you don't have to explain yourself, I shouldn't have overstepped my boundaries-"

"No, this wasn't your fault, you did nothing wrong, you were just concerned and I know that now. I'm just a little touchy with the subject of my parents. Don't beat yourself up over this, okay? You're fine, Seungmin." Hyunjin unconsciously reaches over and grasps the older’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and once Seungmin lets out an affirmative hum in understanding, Hyunjin carefully pulls away. He's always loved skinship, constantly having a hand on someone's arm or laying his head on anyone's shoulder; It's just how Hyunjin is, but he also knows when it's okay for him to do so and when it's  _ not _ . Right now Hyunjin has no clue if it's okay to touch the other, but he assumes that since  _ fate _ had originally wanted the two of them together, it might as well be fine.

Of course the second year will always want more with him. More as in wanting their fingers to be warmly intertwined, a hand resting lightly upon a thigh, or to drape an arm around the other. It'll never be enough to just share fleeting touches. Never.

That thought alone definitely scares Hyunjin more than he would like to admit.

However, to his surprise, Seungmin reaches back out and searches for the hand that was just seconds ago in his. With blush beginning to spread across his warm cheeks, Hyunjin scoots closer allowing the omega to clasp their hands together; both boys feeling absolutely content with their decision.

"They- uhm, my _parents_ , they aren't around much. They work in architecture and both actually got transferred to America a few years ago. I don’t see them often… or really at all since they left.” Seungmin tilts his head and Hyunjin notices the older’s brows bunch up underneath the blindfold. “They’re not bad parents!” The second year clarifies rather quickly. “They send me money, pay for my apartment and schooling. Although, even before they left for America I would only see them twice, maybe three times a week? Their jobs call for them to be at work or in meetings, running around on the clock twenty four seven.”

As Hyunjin is talking he unconsciously stares off towards a plethora of framed photos placed upon the other boy’s T.V. stand. More specifically the photo of Seungmin and Jeongin squished between Chan and Woojin somewhere on what looks to be a beach. A pang of longing and curiosity rips through the younger like a nasty scratch.

“I always found it amusing though…”

“What?” Seungmin whispers.

“That they had a kid, yet both of them never wanted to see him or just take him places.” He answers the older while continuing to look at the photo across the room.

Hyunjin notices the lack of reply and he looks back towards Seungmin. The omega has his unoccupied hand now formed into a tight fist and his head facing towards the ground.

"You haven't said anything, but I can practically feel you fuming. It's fine, Seungmin-"

"It's not  _ fine…  _ they are your parents, they’re supposed to love you and be there for you. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at your mom and dad." Seungmin huffs out a frustrated sigh at just how unaware Hyunjin portrays himself to be. Does he not realize how messed up the situation is or that his parents are actual assholes? Seungmin doesn’t want to get back on the younger’s bad side, knowing how short his temper can be, so he decides to keep his thoughts to himself.

"They  _ do  _ love me, they're just not always here to show it."

"I still think they kinda suck." Seungmin mumbles out while running his once curled up fist through his hair.

"Well I have good manners, okay grades, an amazing personality, and I'm still  _ alive _ . So I guess they're not doing too bad of a job."

Seungmin thinks that the situation is completely the other way around; Hyunjin is the one who made himself the young man he is today and definitely not his parents doing. But he'd rather not argue with the hardheaded teen right now.

"Hey, I want the both of us to make a promise to each other."

"Oh? And what promise is that?” Even though Seungmin sounds quite serious, Hyunjin can’t help the tug on his lips as he forms a smile. He also takes notice in Seungmin’s habit of biting his bottom lip and assumes the omega must feel nervous.

"If we're upset o-or mad at one another, we will never walk away or say goodbye without talking it out and solving the issue first. I don't want us to have a repeat of last Saturday."

The younger male widens his eyes at the other’s words. It’s a simple request, really, but he would have never expected Seungmin- the one who wants to wear a blindfold every time they meet- to want to make such a promise with him. But nevertheless, Hyunjin tightens the hold he has on Seungmin’s hand and nods his head slowly.

"I promise."

A smile pulls across Seungmin's features and the two bask in the quietness for a couple of seconds until it's broken once more. "I actually want to tell you something personal as well.”

Hyunjin squeezes the other's hand reassuringly and silently waits for Seungmin to continue.

“I'm, like,  _ cautious  _ of people" He starts carefully. "and it's because I was, well to put it simply, I was bullied for two whole years at this god awful school. It wasn't like I could just  _ defend  _ myself either. I was scared that I would hurt these humans- these fragile humans-, and that I wouldn't control myself enough to hold back my true strength. So I just let them and… well they basically made my life actual hell. They never harmed me too badly physically, since I'm naturally stronger than them, but words hurt just as bad, you know?"

Hyunjin stays silent waiting for the other to continue, but he makes sure and keeps a strong grip on Seungmin’s hand, mentally letting him know that ‘ _ I’m here _ ’.

"Every time I stepped into that school they were there, waiting, and Changbin hyung would always tell me to ignore them, but…" Seungmin takes a breath and lets it out through his nose, tilting his head away from where it was previously directed near Hyunjin. "I would fucking hear them in other rooms, just  _ talking _ about me to other people, making plans on what they would do and say to me next." His voice cracks while mentioning the last part and Hyunjin wants nothing more then to drag the other into a tight and secure hug, but he knows they’re not at that stage. "I never wanted to be deaf so badly than I did back in that city."

Hyunjin’s mouth opens then closes, trying to search for something to say as his heart breaks for the boy beside him. "Seungmin, I'm so sorry."

The other responds by rubbing his thumb in thanks on the back of the second year’s hand. "I'm getting better though. Everyday I try to get better, at least. They really did some damage to someone who was already kicked down."

"Why did they do and say those things to you?"

Seungmin shakes his head softly. “I never did lay low like Changbin hyung does so well, keeping aspects of himself such a mystery.” He lets out a scoff and Hyunjin waits patiently for him to continue. "Maybe it was because my grades were so high or how made any team I tried out for- to this day I really don't know. Maybe they were just bored. Simple as that."

"That was them at the supermarket, all those years ago, wasn't it?" It wasn't so much a question but more so a statement.

Seungmin nods his head, but stills after a second thought. “Hyunjin, I also wanted to talk to you about that day." It was kinda off topic, what the omega has to say, but he'd rather steer the conversation away from such negative thoughts.

"The other night I had asked Chan hyung about why I didn’t imprint with you and he said that it was most likely because I was so focused on trying to calm my wolf down, that I couldn't differentiate the presence of my future mate between the anxiousness I myself was feeling from those bullies." Hyunjin’s eyes widen in surprise before schooling his expression into an understanding one.

"And the fact they we never made eye contact, of course. I was just so caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and restrictions, it was practically impossible for me to concentrate. I really only ever remember seeing your side profile back then, nothing more. So, when you three showed up that night, my inner wolf found something familiar and ran with it. It knew and remembered who you were before I really even knew myself. But whether it was bad or good I didn’t know until you were already lying unconscious in my living room.”

It all makes sense now- Why things happen the way they did- and if Hyunjin was being honest with himself, he's  _ glad _ they didn't imprint that day and he's glad that they officially met when they did. Almost as if the universe knew exactly what it was doing with everything, things seemed as if it wasn't some big coincidence.

Both of them continue on with their conversation, switching to talking about mundane subjects; Like about all of Seungmin's books that are organized on a hefty sized bookcase and the plethora of postcards the omega had said are a gag the whole pack runs with; apparently they all seem to collect obscure postcards whenever they move or travel.

They talk until the sun has set and the temperature drops even further.

When Chan takes him back in that worn out truck, dropping him off at the treeline, Hyunjin realizes something had changed in his heart after having that conversation. And he doesn’t completely realize what that something means until he’s already showered and in bed that night attempting to go to sleep.

“Maybe Seungmin’s world wouldn’t be too bad to spend my days in… Maybe I’m not as scared as I thought I was.”

~*~

“Man, I fucking hate this place.” Hyunjin seethes while dramatically flinging his upper body across the wooden table and ultimately onto his homework that he was previously trying to finish.

Across the table, Minho lifts his brows and glances at his sorry excuse of a best friend, then towards a giggling Felix, and back to Hyunjin's sad form. The guy really needs to stop putting off his school work until the last minute. “Glad to have you as company too, Hyunjinnie.” Minho retorts, dripping with sarcasm and proceeds to go back to scrolling through his phone, ignoring the way Hyunjin makes a face towards him.

“Hyung, you know what I mean! I just want to spend some time with Seungmin. Of course I want to hang out with you. It's just that- ugh, I hate school.” The teen sighs, lays back against his chair instead of laying across his homework, and fixes his bunched up blazer.

Minho looks back up from his phone. “Hey, I don't want to be here either, but I only have six months until I graduate so I'm kicking it into overdrive.”

Hyunjin thinks that’s kinda hard to believe since the older is clearly on his phone and not studying for any of his upcoming exams, but to each their own. Minho has always been pretty smart even with how little the guy actually takes notes or pays attention in class. Hyunjin has always been a little jealous of that aspect. Oh, how he wishes to have just a sliver of brain power the boy across from him possesses.

“Says you, hyung! Hyunjin and I still have a whole other year of schooling before we leave.” Felix pouts only for the third year across from him to flick his arm and promise to buy both of them snacks to help cheer them up and for _ ‘much needed brain power’. _

The subject is quickly lost once the Australian boy points a finger accusingly towards Hyunjin. “What's up with Seungmin and you, by the way? I've been, like, super curious since the whole ‘ _ blindfold’ _ thing and how you never wanted to hang out with us. I kept wanting to ask Seungmin, but it was almost as if he never wanted to talk about it, always changing the subject. But  _ now  _ you suddenly want to spend time with him? It makes no sense.”

“It's a long story, Lix.” Both Minho and Felix stare unblinkingly at Hyunjin and wait for him to spill the beans. The older second year looks between the two and wonders if it’s okay to tell them, but he thinks about it for a second longer and concludes that they’ll find out eventually anyways. “Him and I are mates…”

“ _ What the hell?!”  _ Hyunjin quickly leans over and attempts to shush the blonde boy who's making quite the scene in the tranquil library. There’s surprise and hurt written all over the younger’s face and Hyunjin can not help but to feel bad for keeping a secret like that from his friends. “Hyunjin, why didn't you tell us like, I don't know, sooner?” Felix folds his arms over his chest in a pissed off manner and glares at his friend. “Is this why you never hang out with us anymore and don’t like to be around Seungmin- or used to? Look, I get that he’s a little standoffish, but I’m sure he is a  _ very  _ sweet guy! Binnie hyung said that Seungmin just needs to warm up to someone first before he-”

Minho lets out a sigh and reaches over to pat Felix on the shoulder, attempting to calm him down a little. “Hey, it’s not his fault that he didn’t want to tell us, I’m sure Seungmin didn’t feel comfortable which led Hyunjin to keep it a secret.” Felix reluctantly unfolds his arms only to lean onto the table with a huff. The half-breed silently keeps the information that he already knew about the two being mates, not wanting to cause anymore stress onto Hyunjin.

“Minho hyung is right, it's super complicated with us, but I’ve only just recently talked with him and got to know him better. We’re doing super good right now, slowly making some progress. Is it weird that I feel like I’ve known him forever though? Even after talking for a bit it’s like Seungmin trusts me and actually… cares about me.”

Felix makes a cooing sound- a complete 180 from him being upset about the secret keeping- and begins to explain how it feels the same with Changbin and him.

Across the table Minho takes in his best friend’s facial expression and decides that Seungmin may not be as bad as he appears. If Hyunjin is happy, Minho is happy. But that doesn’t change the fact that the omega and Minho just naturally do not get along like they should. Maybe that can change one day.

"So you don't have a pull towards him?" Felix questions innocently.

"Sorry. A what?"

The blonde looks around and leans in closer towards Hyunjin, talking quietly; The other students already find their little group kinda weird to begin with, he doesn’t need another reason to add on top of the growing list. "When I first saw Binnie, I was instantly pulled towards him, like, some type of force always directed me to him."

Minho sorta wondered about that as well, because according to Chan and Woojin, Felix was only supposed to feel a little zoned out or make weird decisions- whatever that meant. But from what Minho remembers, Felix literally always knew when Changbin was around and followed him to places without even seeing where the guy went in the first place. It definitely was odd.

Now, the behavior that Hyunjin has been displaying since meeting Seungmin, well, that seemed about right. The taller second year has been more moody and zoning out when attempting to study with their group, but that last one has always kinda been his thing.

"I mean, I want to be  _ near _ Seungmin, but nothing is really, uhm, forcing me to do so?"

Felix lays his head on his propped up hand and scrunches his eyebrows up in confusion. "That's strange."

“Anyways, I'm sure Changbin hyung has told you about wolves imprinting with humans.”

“Oh.”

“I know about it as well. Woojin and Chan hyung told me a bunch of things, the night we all found them.”

Both second years lift their brows in surprise at Minho's confession, but decide not to dwell on it for too long.

“So with that in mind, Seungmin is scared that I'll change my mind or I guess chicken out with the whole transformation aspect of this.” Hyunjin brings a hand towards the back of his neck in embarrassment. He knows there’s so much more to it than just becoming one of them, in fact Hyunjin himself still can’t grasp the full implications of it all and he believes that’s exactly what's holding him back.

“ _ Are _ you scared?” Felix questions after some time has passed.

It’s hard for Hyunjin to explain, even to his close friends, about how he's both scared and not at the same time. So without knowing how to put his feelings into words, he begins to think a little too hard into the simple question. “I told him I wasn't sure, but…I’ve had time to think about it and maybe? Or, I mean, I don’t think  _ I am _ .” Hyunjin doesn’t even understand why he becomes so worked up all of the sudden- like someone had flipped a switch, but the suffering quietness from the library and the concerned stares coming from both Minho and Felix all start to become too much for him. “Listen, I just don't want him to get hurt, but I also want to be near him and- god! This is just all so messed up!”

The distressed boy rakes his shaking hands through brown locks and abruptly stands from his seat, causing the chair behind him to almost fall over, only missing the ground thanks to Felix’s quick reflexes.

Minho immediately gets up from his seat and walks over to where Hyunjin stands from his own. “Hey, it's going to be okay, Hyunjin. Just calm down.” He places a gentle hand onto his best friend's arm, but it's roughly shaken off the second Minho makes contact.

“And how would  _ you  _ know that everything's going to be  _ alright _ ?!” The unspoken words of Minho not being able to possibly feel how Hyunjin is feeling, simply because he's a half breed and Hyunjin is a human, filter around them like a toxic gas. No one wants to say it, but they all know it.

Hyunjin whips his head around the nearby tables, noticing all the stares from curious too annoyed students. Without a single glance towards his two friends, he grabs his phone and turns to leave. “I need some air, I'll be back.”

Both Felix and Minho watch Hyunjin’s figure disappear among the tall rows of books and ultimately hear the sound of the library's doors being breached. After a few seconds of silence, Minho let's out a tired sigh while pushing in Hyunjin’s chair and moving back to his own. “He's just confused and frustrated right now.” He reasons, running a hand down the side of his face.

Minho understands that it’s most likely the effects of being around Seungmin and not imprinting that's getting to Hyunjin, but that doesn't mean the words just- more or less- yelled at him didn’t hurt coming from his best friend.

"What's wrong with him?" Changbin throws a thumb over his shoulder vaguely in the direction of the front of the library, having just passed by a sulking Hyunjin by the threshold seconds prior.

Instead of answering his question, Felix decides to welcome his boyfriend- boyfriend? Are they boyfriends? Well they act like it, but they've never  _ said _ they were as such… oh well. Felix will have to talk with him about it later. “Binnie!” He offers the older boy a bright smile, attempting to get his thoughts away from what just happened.

“Hey, Lixie.” The older coos quietly and sits down beside the blonde, taking his hand in his instantly.

Ever since they imprinted, Changbin and Felix had gained some of the schools general population's attention, and not the wanted attention either. When Felix first moved here he had nice encounters and friendly introductions, but the second people saw him successfully interact with the school's biggest mystery, people started to act not so welcoming to the blonde boy. Of course being friends with Minho and Hyunjin didn't help in the slightest considering the two had been known, since before Felix even moved here, to be an odd pair.

Minho watches the two across from him, apparently they have no problem with subtle PDA. “You two make me feel like I'm a piece of trash on the side of a freeway.”

“I just got off the phone with Woojin hyung and he said Jisung will be coming home tonight.” Minho mentally brightens up at the redhead’s name. “I think they wanted to wait and surprise him about the three new pack members, so we're throwing a welcome home party. We also didn’t get to celebrate his birthday since he was away.” Changbin mumbles out the last part as if it was a passing thought. "Anyways, hyung wanted me to let you all know."

Minho stares skeptically towards the alpha before him. “So he doesn't know about me staying in his room? Or, like, about any of us?”

“Nope. It's fine though, the little guy  _ really _ likes surprises.”

“Little guy? How old is he? We have never really talked about Jisung before…”

Even though Felix was the one who asked the question, Minho was all too curious as well. He instantly perks up at the hopes of getting to know the small omega a little better.

“He's the same age as Seungmin, so 26. Jisung's kind of like a spokesman and record keeper for our pack. He goes out once a year, sometimes two, to as many packs as possible and scouts them out, gathering and sharing information, and for any that quality he also makes sure all of our treaties are signed for, those kinds of things. If he is welcomed, Jisung also goes into a pack to see new members and talk. His power is photographic memory, once he sees or hears something, he'll never forget it.”

"Never?" Minho lifts his brows, thoroughly impressed with such a unique power, but also wonders if knowing so much and never forgetting, could ultimately take a toll on just one guy.

"About 99 percent of the time he'll remember. But as he gets older or imprints his powers will develop, so could get better could get worse. Who knows."

Felix let's out a low hum in thought. “I thought Chan hyung said something about lone wolves being huge targets?”

“Jisung is the fastest runner out of all of us. The kid can reach up to 65 km/h. Most packs- if they were to attack him- can only run up to about 43 km/h, they wouldn't even be able to touch his tail.” Changbin proudly explains. "It's because he's so small."

“Well, he sounds really interesting, hyung!”

Changbin smiles towards the blonde and pulls out a few notes that were specifically taken so that the older can help Minho study for an upcoming exam- not that he really needs the help with studying, but Minho thinks it helps their bond grow a little. “He's definitely a ball of sunshine, you'll love him."

Minho looks out the window, placed beside their table, in thought. He pictures the smiling redhead, just like the Christmas photo placed in the kitchen, and imagines the scent of earthy oranges, like how all of the omega's objects smell in his room. "Sunshine, huh?"

~*~

Later on that night the pack along with Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix gather at the Stray’s home in celebration of Jisung homecoming.

Wafts of whatever Woojin and Chan are cooking up in the kitchen linger around the grand house mixing with the sounds of a crackling fire from the living room. The rest of the boys are placed around said living room playing video games and messing around on their phones, simply enjoying each others presence and patiently waiting until they can eat.

“Oh. I’ve never noticed that before.” Felix cranes his head and stares at the jagged pale scar, no bigger than the size of an average nail, that runs along the back Hyunjin’s neck. The slightly older boy is wearing a loose sweater, giving ample view to the newly discovered mark.

Hyunjin, who has drastically calmed down since his scene at the school's library, tears his gaze away from Seungmin. The omega is skillfully playing some driving game, even though he is blindfolded, and still managing to stay ahead of Jeongin. If Hyunjin wasn’t kinda, actually, really into the other, he would find such a thing rather creepy. He knew Seungmin could defeat the odds even with a blindfold, but to stay in the lead in  _ Mario Kart _ ? Yeah, it’s just really weird.

”What?”

“The scar on the back of your neck.” Felix brings a finger up and pokes the mark, looking at it curiously. “What happened?”

Changbin moves from his spot between Felix’s legs and takes a look for himself. “Geez, dude! Looks like someone took a butter knife to your neck.” The young alpha lets out a small whine the second Felix pinches his side for being so blunt towards their friend.

“Don’t be rude.”

Hyunjin cups the back of his neck and absentmindedly rubs the spot. He gives the two boys beside him a shy smile and tells the younger of them that it’s fine, Changbin is right about the mark looking a little rough. “I’ve actually always had it. I’m not too sure where it came from, though.”

A high pitched whine gathers the attention of the three boys, only to see Jeongin look in disbelief at a smiling Seungmin. With the two brothers mere seconds away from breaking out into argument, Changbin gets prepared to extinguish the situation.

"You cheated, hyung!" Jeongin tosses the controller onto the couch and points an accusing finger towards the older.

Seungmin scoffs once, seemingly way more calm than his younger brother. "How can I fucking cheat? I'm  _ blindfolded _ !" He points towards the cloth covering his eye to emphasize the point, but Jeongin continues to ramble on and trying to justify how he should have won.

Chan pops his head out of the swinging door leading into the kitchen to correct Seungmin on his choice of language and turns back inside, noticing Minho’s still form. The third year has been nestled on top of the window seat, watching the backyard for quite some time while Woojin and Chan have been bustling around the kitchen.

“Minho, will you go and grab some more wood from out by the shed?” The leader grabs his attention, wanting to give Minho something to do, other than stare quietly out a window until they have dinner.

The younger tears his gaze away and makes eye contact with a smiling Chan.

“Sure” And with that Minho watches Chan walk back to his spot beside his mate before he makes his way outside.

The third year shivers from the drop in temperature and immediately regrets not throwing on a jacket before coming out. He quickly finds the neatly stacked wood leaning against a shed that looks like it could use a touch up or two, in his opinion.

"How many did hyung want?" Minho ponders aloud, but he freezes mid step once his ears pick up on a quiet rustle behind him. Sure it could just be the wind or a small animal roaming around, but with the hairs on Minho’s arms prickling up and his inner wolf becoming suspicious, the half-breed begins to second guess the sudden noise.

Before he knows it, the half-breed’s back is slammed against an unknown chest along with an arm placed tightly across his own heaving chest. Minho also takes a terrifying note of a cold piece of metal pressed along his throat.

“Make one more move and I slice your damn throat open.” The stranger pushes the blade further to emphasize his threat, resulting in a miniscule cut to run along Minho’s pale throat. The action doesn’t hurt, but Minho quickly understands the danger he’s in. “Who are you and what are you doing on my pack’s territory?”

It’s hard to concentrate, Minho’s thoughts are running completely rampant, like a wild river. So it comes as no surprise that the third year misses the last part of the stranger’s sentence. “I-I'm...what?”  _ Can’t Seungmin hear what’s going on? Doesn’t the whole pack hear what’s happening? Can Chan not feel the irregular emotions coming from outside? _

The stranger lets a frustrated, yet quiet, growl slip past his lips and the second Minho feels the warm puffs of air fanning across his neck, shivers rake his entire body. “ _ Answer _ or I  _ cut _ .” The blade digs a little deeper, reopening the cut that has already begun to heal itself, thanks to Minho’s immune system.

_ Calm down. I need to calm down. Think rationally. _

“My name is Lee Minho and Chan hyung offered me a-a place here! I was just getting some firewood-”

“Hyung has never mentioned a  _ Minho _ . You smell completely off; drop the act! I can sense your emotions and you show no signs of being frightened!” The stranger sounds beyond tired in Minho’s opinion, but that’s not the only thing the half-breed realizes in that very moment.

_ That voice. That smell. Oranges and sage? No. Just oranges. _

Minho has no idea why, but once the familiar smell of the stranger finally registers, his inner wolf immediately tells him to calm down and that everything will be fine. So he takes a careful breath- mindful of the blade across his throat- and tries to explain his situation. “I'm not acting. I take suppressants, well I'm trying to get off of them-”

Another frustrated growl interrupts the rambling third year, but this time the stranger seems to have had enough and finally spins Minho completely around. “God, can you just-” The stranger, as well as all of Minho's thoughts, come to a stand still.

Both of them immediately make eye contact, which ultimately leads to Minho’s entire world pausing right then and there.

A bust of warmth erupts within him, like a soothing bonfire on a frigid night. The comfortable feeling runs through him and envelops his entire being, and having never felt such a thing before raises so many questions for the young half-breed, but ultimately he comes to a very calm conclusion of what’s happening.

He’s imprinting.

Everything fades away and visions begin to roll along right before him.

It starts off with a room that Minho knows all too well; Jisung’s room, a place Minho has been staying in for the past few nights. The redhead is laying on top of Minho’s bare chest, the latter playing with the smaller man’s hair. The two of them look like they are  _ way _ past formalities, and also unquestionably  _ in love. _

Minho has no time to question the intimate scene, because just as quickly as the first one had arrived then next one filters in.

Jisung is laughing and cutting up with a very grumpy looking Changbin, but mid laugh the redhead turns and looks over towards a fond looking Minho. Jisung proceeds to say something with nothing but excitement and a hint of doubt laced throughout his facial features. Minho can’t hear anything from these visions, which frustrates him, because whatever Jisung was just saying seemed like it was important.

The scene cuts away once more, but this time the both of them are a tad bit older. Minho stands in a familiar kitchen, fooling around with a recipe, meanwhile Jisung is crouched beside him, wiping away traces of dirt from a child's face. The kid couldn't be any older than four, but that doesn’t stop the young boy from pouting angrily at the two adults before him. The action causes both Jisung and Minho to laugh at the child's antics, the whole atmosphere practically screaming domestic and happy.

And just like that the entire scene fades away like dust in the wind, dissolving back into present day, back to where Jisung is gripping onto Minho’s biceps and the two are facing each other with wide and befuddled eyes.

Minho’s entire space is filled with nothing but the smell of earthy oranges and the third year can’t help, but think of one thing.

Home.

The man in front of him seems to be equally as shocked, which is completely understandable for what just happened.

Minho opens his mouth to speak, but he barely gets past a couple of words. “I- you-”

“We're mates.” Jisung’s eyes fall just a tad bit lower and Minho didn't even realize the few tears that have escaped until Jisung is already silently wiping them any with his thumbs. The entire gesture is so careful and delicate, almost as if the redhead believes Minho is made of porcelain. The third year just barely holds himself back from leaning into the touch.

It’s funny to Minho that not even a few moments ago the other had a knife to his throat and is now carefully wiping away tears.

So he does just that, Minho laughs quietly while looking down into Jisung’s amused eyes. The two of them quiet down and simply bask in the presence of one another before the sound of a door opening disturbs the peace and a voice calls out.

“Hey, Minho, you doing alright out here-  _ Jisung _ ?! When did you get back?” Chan walks closer to the scene before him; Jisung cupping Minho’s agitated face and the latter moving protectively in front of the smaller. Once the head alpha is just a few steps away, Minho unconsciously lets on a low growl, surprising not only Chan, but himself as well. Jisung would actually do the same, but Chan is his leader and he’s an omega; Even though Chan would  _ never  _ force him into such a role, Jisung still respects the man.

“Hey, what's-”  _ Newly imprinted mates are possessive, right. _ Chan quickly reminds himself. He throws his hands up in front of his chest and stops right where he is, only to back a couple of meters away from the two and giving them the much needed space. “Okay!” Chan looks between the two in disbelief one last time. “Sungie. Minho. I'll uh… leave you guys to it. Just come inside when you’re ready- I’m sure everyone is excited to have you back home, Jisung. Can’t believe it! Minho and Jisung?!”

Minho’s eyes linger on the closed door- where Chan had disappeared- a moment longer before he shifts his gaze back to the boy in front of him. He‘s only momentarily startled to see that Jisung is already staring back at him with an unreadable look.

“Han Jisung.” The shorter greets with a smile as bright as the sun and Minho remembers the fleeting words Changbin had spoken earlier at school;  _ A ball of sunshine _ . His heart stutters just from the sight alone.

“Lee Minho.”

Jisung huffs out a laugh from the dazed look Minho is currently sporting because he gets it, he’s seen wolves imprint with each other before; He knows it can be overwhelming, damn he himself is feeling like he’s on cloud nine right now.

“Geez, my heart is beating so fast right now.” Minho cuts Jisung’s thoughts off by expressing his own.

The redhead takes in the appearance of the boy in front of him, takes it in completely; Starting with Minho’s catlike eyes, followed by his sharp nose, and then his curved mouth- his whole face screaming  _ beautiful _ . Jisung kinda wonders if he did something incredible in his past life to deserve even a fraction of the man before him.

“Mine too.” Jisung looks down towards the ground, suddenly too shy to look into the eyes of a very adorable Minho. He’s in the process of coming up with a few questions to ask the other, but a sudden chill runs down his spine, a chill he knows all too well, and then he hears it.

“ _ A pack just breached our territory line. _ ” Jisung listens to Seungmin announce through the pack bond, sounding just as confused as Jisung feels.

His face must look quite conflicted because Minho instantly reaches his unoccupied hand up in attempt to comfort Jisung. “What's wrong? Did I-”

The smaller quickly takes the approaching hand in his own, stopping Minho’s movements completely. “Shh!” He looks around the property with frantic eyes and worriedly brings his lip between his teeth. There's only a handful of packs in that direction specifically and none of which are on the friendly side of the spectrum.

“I’m sorry, but we need to get inside quickly!” Minho follows wordlessly, a bit floored by the complete 180 the boy in front of him is showing; Just seconds ago he was a cute mess of shy smiles and now he’s acting if they’re about to be under attack.

Jisung drags Minho inside and closes the door with a  _ slam _ , throwing off his backpack in the process and letting the luggage fall onto the kitchen floor without a second thought. “Seungmin! I heard you through the pack bond.” The rest of the pack has gathered in the spacious kitchen all looking between worried, surprised, concerned, or scared.

“What’s going on?” Minho questions helplessly and looks between Hyunjin and Felix, who both look frantic where they’re standing. The second years shake their heads, just as clueless as Minho is on the subject at hand.

Seungmin shifts his head towards the nearest window, listening carefully. “There’s movement coming near us. Sounds like it's the pack west of ours; Seocha pack. There's maybe twelve or more members heading this way.”

Changbin rolls his eyes and walks over to comfort a worried Felix. “What would those  _ mutts  _ want from us?”

“That's no way to be talking about your parents, hyung.” Jeongin practically whines out.

“Innie, I was never a part of them… I was only born in that pack. Nothing more.” The air turns even more sour with the grim behavior Changbin suddenly portrays.

And although it was Felix who originally needed to be comforted, the blonde immediately looks to the boy beside him, a million questions at the tip of his tongue. “Changbin…”

The boy in question gives Felix a tight smile and hopes it’s enough for now. “I'm fine, Lix.”

Chan makes sure his family is completely quiet, asking everyone to stay silent, and gives Seungmin a few seconds to concentrate before questioning, “How are we sounding, Seungmin?”

“About 4 kilometers out- They...they stopped?” His eyebrows scrunch up beneath the blindfold and everyone holds their breaths, waiting for Seungmin to continue.

He hears the sound of the entire pack halting, a couple of them transform, that much he is sure of, then a few steps of walking, and a wicked voice begins to speak. “ _ I want the blonde human and I want him alive.” _

Seungmin turns away from the window, his breath quickening. “Chan hyung, we need to get the humans and Minho out of here,  _ now!”  _ His voice is shaky and a bit frantic, causing Hyunjin’s heart to sink at the mere thought of something scaring Seungmin so much to act like this.

The leader’s facial expression hardens at once and he gathers the confused three along with Jisung towards the back door where the latter just came through moments ago. He introduces them to the redhead quickly while also simultaneously coming up with a plan.

“Take them out the back way and hide through the trails, don't let them out of your sight, same goes for you.” He makes hard eye contact with Minho and the younger instantly understands. “I want Felix and Hyunjin on both of your backs and that's an order. I'll call one of you when everything is settled, but  _ do not  _ come back or even so much as step foot into this forest until I give you a call. Do you understand?”

Jisung nods his head and Chan quickly brings him in for a tight hug, attempting to relieve the younger of any stress by transferring a bit of calming energy. He lets him go and gives the other three a reassuring smile while patting each of their heads, hoping this will be enough to show that he hopes that they’ll stay safe.

"Sorry that your welcome home/impromptu congratulatory imprinting party is being cut super short, we'll have to celebrate when everything gets a little more quiet." Woojin adds in briefly and with an apologetic face.

"It's fine, hyung- as long as I'm staying with Minho, I'll be okay!"

After putting two and two together, Jeongin whirls around so quickly at the sentence Jisung just happily stated that if he were human, it’s quite possible that his neck would be broken by now. " _ You _ imprinted with  _ Minho?! _ " Chan hushes his son and brings him away from the redhead, afraid Jeongin will get too sidetracked if he begins to have a conversation with the omega and because they’re kinda in a time sensitive situation right now.

Changbin quietly pulls Felix aside, while the latter is putting on his coat, and takes his hand gently. “Be safe, Felix.”

The blonde lets out a short and airy laugh, rubbing his thumb against the back of Changbin’s hand. “You know I will-” However, their sweet and private conversation comes to a short end once Hyunjin’s loud voice sounds throughout the house.

“What? No, I'm not leaving you!” The taller male places a heavy hand onto Seungmin’s shoulder and stops the male from moving towards his brother by the front door.

Seungmin lets out a tired sigh and begins to reason with him. “This isn't a fight you can win, Hyunjin. This pack is  _ dangerous,  _ plus I can take care of myself. Just do as you're told for once in your life!”

“No! I need to stay with you-”

Hyunjin’s words are completely cut short once Seungmin yanks off his blindfold and the two make eye contact for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger, you'll find out what happens next week!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! Likes and words of motivation are ALWAYS welcomed~
> 
> Next Time:  
> -Changbin's parents?  
> -Hyunjin is always passed out in this story  
> -Seungmin's just straight up not having a good time  
> -Jisung being all tough  
> -Minho is in love y'all  
> -Woochan being mom and dad  
> -Jeongin is just a baby
> 
> I have a new TWITTER ACCOUNT @CadeIsTrash My other account (@CadelynIsTrash) is no longer available since it was deleted. I made the account a few months before I turned 13 WAY back when (since I'm 22 now) and twitter just decided to suspend and delete it now. So if you were following me OR you want to follow now PLEASE follow that account! I'm still trying to find all my followers and mutuals <3


	6. Don't Move Pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION! I am reposting this chapter bc there was a TON of fixing that my editor did and I apologize for uploading it in the state that it was in. I advise all of you that have read it, to go ahead and read once more. Parts have been rearranged and some have been added. Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
> 
> Ahh hope you all enjoy the update~
> 
> Thank you DiamondWings for editing! Go check out her SKZ fics!

Woojin opens his mouth in disbelief, mirrorring the rest of the boys' reactions to what just happened. “They just…”

“Imprinted.” Chan finishes the sentence for him, as if it wasn’t already obvious what Seungmin had just done.

Everyone watches as Hyunjin and Seungmin stare blankly into each other's eyes, mouths slightly agape, before the tallest begins to fall forward and into Seungmin’s arms. The omega continues to stare ahead for a couple of seconds and finally reacts by scrunching his eyes shut and wiping at the fresh set of tears that have started to fall. A small whine leaves the latter’s mouth from the vision the two just shared, a vision that he will never forget.

The whole house is completely silent save for the deep breaths Seungmin keeps taking, attempting to prepare himself for what he’s about to do.

The omega takes a shaky hand, while the other holds Hyunjin’s waist tightly, and sweeps a lock of hair away from his face to see him properly. He then rests a palm along the younger’s cheek and down alongside his jaw, before moving the both of them in Jisung’s direction as if it physically pains him to do so. A fresh set of tears escapes his eyes, beyond reluctant of even the thought of being away from the other.

He rasps out, “G-go...take him. _Keep. Him. Safe._ ” while slowly handing Hyunjin over to Jisung and the entire room silently understands why he did what he did.

Jisung sharply nods his head and looks over to the leader once more, breaking away from the harder than stone look Seungmin has in his eyes. “We’re off then.”

All three boys flee out the back kitchen door and once they have enough space, both Minho and Jisung transform.

For the first time, Felix looks hesitantly at Minho’s larger form; beautiful tawny fur, almost glistening against the setting sun. He's gorgeous and if Felix wasn't mistaken, he notices Jisung do an actual double take at his friend.

Jisung's fur resembles that of a fox, with his orangey color and white patches along his mouth, chest, and at the tip of his tail. He too looks quite mesmerizing in the afternoon lighting and if they weren't in such a dire situation, Felix would compliment the both of them about their looks, but now is not the time.

"Alright, change of plans." Felix adjusts his grip on Hyunjin and looks between Minho and Jisung, their large azure eyes giving him matching worried looks. "How do you feel about carrying both of us, Jisung?" He remembers Changbin mentioning the redhead having some kickass speed and wouldn't doubt for even a minute that he could pull off this task with ease. Considering Hyunjin being passed out and what not, the slightly older boy couldn't possibly ride on either Minho or Jisung without assistance.

Jisung unsurprisingly gestures his black nose towards his back, giving Felix the go ahead he needed. The second Hyunjin is placed snug against Felix's narrow chest, the latter's grip tight around the taller, they take off into the hidden trail.

Woojin stares out the kitchen window and prays to anything out there that his boys make it out of the forest unharmed.

~*~

Everyone gathers outside and positions themselves along the porch in a line. Collectively, they're all hoping to appear somewhat intimidating, but they know deep down it won't mean shit to the pack coming.

Chan takes notice of Seungmin; the omega's eyes are screwed shut and arms folded across his chest, rubbing his biceps up and down as if to warm himself up. However, Chan knows that Seungmin is currently fighting a battle inside of himself.

“Are you sure you can do this, Seungmin?” The leader questions lightly. "There's still a little time to come up with-"

The wolf in question takes a deep breath and reopens his eyes. “I have to be here, hyung. They'll be even more suspicious if I leave now.”

And as if on cue, two black wolves, followed by even more members trickling in behind them, casually walk up to the middle of the Stray’s front yard, about four meters from where Chan and his own pack stands.

The bigger of the two black wolves transforms back into a human and his members follow suit. The leader of the pack is a man looking to be around his late thirties, but any wolf can automatically tell you that the male is beyond that age. He has raven hair parted down the middle, a prominent chin, and pale complexion. His build is remarkable, wide shoulders and tall in height. If it wasn’t for all the horrible things that every pack around knows about, the head alpha could probably fool anyone into thinking he’s a wonderful man.

“Well. Well. _Well_.” A plastic smile beams across the man's face as he spreads his arms open in a grand gesture. “Mr. Bang Chan.”

The atmosphere was previously quite chilly due to the afternoon sun having already begun to set, but with the pack in front of them it almost seems like you could cut the tension with a knife from how thick everything feels- how _wrong_ everything feels.

Chan counts the remaining members that walk up beside the head alpha and omega, quickly realizing something.

" _How many were originally coming, Seungmin_?"

" _At first I thought it was around twelve but when they got closer I could have sworn it was fifteen…_ "

Seungmin couldn't have been wrong, he rarely is. But if he was right, then Chan's hunch is correct, three wolves are missing from the original fifteen and he hopes to all the gods that they’re just back in their pack’s territory and not out to mess with the four boys he just sent away.

Chan quickly activates his power and immediately sees right through the smiling jester coming from the male in front of him, his powers signaling him that the other head alpha has nothing but malicious intent fluttering around his figure. “Seo Gwangho.” The silver headed leader greets.

Beside him Changbin makes a questioning face and, having yet to deactivate his powers, Chan instantly notices how the younger’s aura seems to belie a frightened feeling; Changbin has _never_ been scared of his previous pack.

 _“What’s wrong, Changbin?”_ The head alpha inquiries through the pack bond.

_“The three wolves missing are all ones with high combat skills. They’re definitely planning an ambush on anyone leaving our territory. They wanted us to be separated.”_

_“Just stay calm and play it cool. Jisung is more than capable of getting those three out and you know that better than anyone. The faster we get this over with and have them leave, the faster we can bring everybody back together. Am I clear with everyone?”_ Chan hears his pack reply with a collective _‘yes’_ and a shaky one follows shortly after from Seungmin, but that’s to be expected. He really hopes the young omega can pull through.

“How are you and your pack today?" Gwangho questions while looking around the property from where he stands.

Chan watches the man carefully, making sure to never miss a single movement. “We were having a nice evening until some unexpected visitors decided to grace us with their presence.”

“Oh? Are we _really_ that unexpected though?” The head alpha of the Seocha pack immediately brings his dark gaze upon Seungmin’s figure.

No words are needed to be exchanged by the two, only a heated stare off. Seungmin’s powers are no secret, in fact every pack around knows about the young omega, having an ability like his is a huge advantage. However, just as the vicious pack leader had strayed away from Chan, he refocuses just as quickly, hardened facial expressions replaced with mock sincerity.

Gwangho gestures between himself and the woman beside him; his mate, Cha Jihye. The woman is also pale, with silky black shoulder length hair, and couldn’t look a day over thirtyfive. “We just want to talk to our son, is that too much to ask for?” The head omega looks a little hurt as she nods along to what her mate is saying, but Chan and the rest of his pack weren’t born yesterday.

Chan scoffs and rolls his eyes at the ridiculous pair in front of him. “Since when have you ever treated Changbin as your own?!” 

The pout Jihye was previously wearing slowly slips off and as if her true colors begin to show, she replaces it with an almost cynically bored stare. “Well, since he was born of course. But what would you know about raising children, _sterile alpha_? What a disgrace.” A few snickers from the Seocha park dance around the wolves, almost mimicking hyenas with their prey.

“Channie…” Woojin quickly looks over to his mate and even though his face reads as a strong leader that wasn’t affected in the slightest by the insult, his bond says otherwise. Woojin can only sense a great amount of melancholy from the man beside him. The omega grasps Chan’s hand in his own and transfers every ounce of positive energy he can muster up.

It’s true, Chan is unable to reproduce and him being sterile is the only reason why Woojin and him do not have a child of their own. But _hell_ , Seungmin and Jeongin _are_ their kids- blood born or not, Chan and Woojin love the two of them so much and would give the _world_ to them if they could. Same goes for Changbin, Jisung, Minho, Felix, and Hyunjin. All of the boys are so precious to the older two that even harmful words from a grade A asshole could never deteriorate their bond.

The silver haired man gives Woojin’s hand a reassuring squeeze, signaling that he’s fine. “I have all the family I need here. Nothing in the rule book says that I need to have my own blood born children to produce a family.” Chan lifts his head with confidence and levels a challenging glare at the older male before him.

Silence falls over the dangerous pack and all that can be heard are twisted chuckles coming from the visiting head alpha. The hysterical man brings his head back up and moves his bangs back into place, composing himself. “You call two cursed orphans, a lone alpha, a spastic runt, and a sorry excuse of a head omega, a pack? Shit, Chan, I knew some packs were desperate, but you're on a whole other level.”

Gwangho smiles and begins to walk forward to the few bushes lining the grand front porch, ignoring the rumble of a growl slipping out of not only Changbin’s throat, but surprisingly Jeongin’s as well.

He then runs a pale hand along the thorny bushes, pricking his finger in the process. The alpha brings his digit closer to his face for inspection and watches as deep crimson blood slowly drips down his hand, all before the wound closes up completely. “Say, you did catch on to one thing, we definitely aren't here for Changbin, but we _are_ here for his other half!”

“A little birdie told us that you imprinted and not just any old fashioned imprint- you imprinted on a _human_!” The pale woman's voice shrills with eerie excitement which only causes Changbin's right brow to twitch with agitation. He knows damn well what his mother's trying to do, but he will never lash out and let it slip where Felix is.

His mother's power is a particular kind. A sort of mind control that only works if a person is either weak or overwhelmed, allowing the woman to get inside the victim's head and gather any type of information she so desires.

Changbin takes a deep breath to tame his inner wolf before leveling his mother with a glare. "You'll never even come _close_ to touching a single hair on his head."

“Hmm, is that so?” The woman tilts her head in an innocent manner and opens her mouth to say something more to her son, but a shiver running across a certain omega catches her attention instead. “Oh, my! Orphaned omega, you seem to be quite feverish on this chilly evening, wouldn’t you say?” Jihye’s naturally dark eyes begin to take on a deep purple glow as she activates her powers and zones in on Seungmin. “Almost as if you’re having withdrawals, hope you feel better soon.”

Once her eyes start to slowly fade back to normal, Changbin can already tell his mother got exactly what she came here for.

Information about Felix or really anyone’s lingering scent she can sense on the property who is currently absent.

 _“Did she get anything?!”_ Changbin frantically questions the young omega.

_“I-I don’t know. I’m s-sorry, hyung.”_

_“Don’t be sorry, Seungminnie. You’re doing amazing, just a little longer.”_ Woojin adds hastily.

Beside Seungmin, Jeongin looks over towards his brother and rubs a hand along his back soothingly. He knows that his brother will most likely beat himself up for letting any information like that slip.

Jihye lifts a perfectly trimmed brow and looks around the handful of boys in front of her. Dark eyes reading as if she already knows everything and if she successfully got through Seungmin, then chances are, she probably does. “I thought the runt would be back by now? Is he out for the time being?”

“Jisung is still away on a business run and the human isn't here either, so you can all leave.” Chan speaks for his pack, tone becoming less friendly everytime he has to answer their questions.

“Aw, that's no fun. You don't mind if we come back to visit, now do you?”

“Yes, I _do_ mind. Now leave, before I drop the hospitality and rightfully use the upper hand on my own territory.”

The other head alpha brings both hands up in defense and takes a step back from where he stands. “Alright. Alright. Alright. No need for violence.” He gives a look towards his pack and without a word being said the group begins to head back from where they came. However, Gwangho stays in place.

“Bang Chan? One last thing.”

Chan looks back at his pack, in silent agreement to stay put while he deals with this, and walks down to where the man waits patiently.

Gwangho practically closes any space between the two of them and leans close to Chan’s ear, the action sending a disgusting shiver down his spine. “You may have hidden the _two_ humans and that half wolf, and this may be your territory- _which no wolf is dumb enough to start a damn fight on_ \- but just know, a time will come when everyone will be on neutral grounds. And that time isn't too far off.” The older alpha finally moves away from Chan’s face and takes two steps back before giving the younger a smile. “Maybe your little omega will see it happen, who knows?”

“ **_Leave_ **!”

With fire burning in his eyes Chan watches as the alpha before him smirks and turns around with ease, slowly disappearing back into the forest. His chest heaves while taking deep breaths to calm himself. It’s only when Woojin places a warm hand along his cheek that Chan breaks out of his trance, momentarily being taken over by his inner alpha.

“Hey, look at me, they’re gone. Let’s get everyone inside, okay?” Woojin nods his head along with the end of his own sentence, silently asking for Chan to understand. “We need to prepare for who's going to patrol and keep watch tonight.”

Chan breaks eye contact to look at Seungmin’s shaky frame being supported by both Jeongin and Changbin, the omega clearly struggling. The leader then nods and takes one more breath, before going along with Woojin’s plan of bringing his family back inside.

~*~

Minho runs with all of his might, feeling the rush of adrenaline flow through him, still in his euphoria from imprinting moments prior. But that doesn’t do shit for how unfairly fast the wolf in front of him is running. Changbin wasn’t joking when he mentioned the omega’s speed.

He would tell Jisung to slow down a bit considering he feels like his body couldn't possibly match this pace for much longer. And Minho would simply relay that message through the pack bond, _but_ the third year hasn’t completed the bonding ceremony for the entire pack yet, resulting in such an action to be impossible.

An acceptance ceremony was _supposed_ to happen sometime tonight, considering every current pack member has to be present, but looks like those plans have been set aside for another time.

 _‘How the hell are neither of them falling off at such a speed?! One of them is passed out for christ’s sake!’_ The half-breed thinks to himself, momentarily becoming distracted.

"Hyung, behind you!"

Minho hears Felix scream towards him and it’s at that exact moment pain erupts through his right hind leg. He immediately trips over his own rushing paws and rolls forward until his body slams into an unmoving tree with great force. For a split second, Minho sees nothing but white, his vision trying to bring everything back into focus. He then lets out a cry of pain when forcing himself to transform, only to instantly notice the wound around his ankle, the thing causing him great discomfort.

The sound of approaching steps catches him off guard and Minho tears his concerned gaze away from the ground and to the three wolves now circling around his body.

Minho continues to look between his wound and the wolves, to assess the situation at hand. Blood pools around his dark jeans and seeps into the forest floor, staining the dead leaves a crimson color. The half-breed lets out a few deep breaths once he realizes it’s not a major injury, but something just enough to leave him imobile and scared enough to make him shift- it's probably what the three wolves intended on doing.

Low growls coming from in front of him immediately drag his attention back to what's really happening; they are being ambushed. This is definitely not good considering Minho can’t even defend himself at this moment.

The second Jisung had heard the cry from Minho, the omega quickly brought himself to a halt and turned back around only to skid to a stop once more, and gestured for Felix to get off.

Jisung immediately transforms and guides the passed out Hyunjin and Felix behind some large bushes. Although, there's quite a distance between the three wolves and Jisung, he still lowers his voice when talking to the boy in front of him. “Felix, stay right here and watch after Hyunjin. I’ll go deal with them and get Minho.”

“You can’t take all three of them on by yourself!”

The redhead gives him a cocky smirk before standing back up from his crouching position. “It’s _them_ who you should be worried for, not me.” And with that he transforms back into his striking wolf form and quickly takes off towards Minho.

He comes into contact with the first wolf, and of course this one is definitely bigger than him- most of his kind are- but they have nothing on his speed. The two charge at each other and crash midair with a loud _thud_ , having both jumped up to have the upper hand, but Jisung was faster. He bites down hard onto the enemy wolf's neck and rolls until the other has more or less passed out.

Once finished with the first, Jisung snarls and turns to where the other two are standing in front of Minho. He knows from just seeing the pool of blood surrounding the dark headed boy that they definitely aren't here for a friendly chat; Jisung practically sees red as dark as the liquid around Minho’s ankle. He should have known that pack would pull some sort of petty plan to ambush whoever tried to leave the Stray territory.

Jisung doesn't even know what comes over him, nor does he _remember_ what he does to the other two wolves, but when he comes back to, he’s standing with his back to Minho, chest heaving, and watching the receding figures of three Seocha pack members. Jisung couldn't even tell you when he transformed back into his human form, but here he is, mouth covered in a bit of blood, arm aching a little, his already disheveled clothes covered in more dirt than the last time he saw his outfit, and god he probably looks like a wreck. But now is not the time to think about appearances or possible injuries.

In fact, _now_ would probably be the best time to escape before those three come back with friends.

Jisung shakes the weird feeling he has coursing through his jittery body and turns to check over the boy behind him.

“Can you stand, Minho?” Jisung huffs once then twice, attempting to catch his breath, but the redhead- even after brawling with three other wolves- still wears a confident smile. He reaches out a hand towards Minho and pulls up the injured boy once the latter nods his head in confirmation.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Minho states in wonder, which causes a smattering of pink blush to appear on Jisung’s warming cheeks. "Oh, your arm…" His mate reaches out and ghosts his fingers over Jisung’s injury, a pang of guilt flooding his sense.

Jisung spares a glance at the four bloody claw marks running down his arm, already beginning to heal albeit slowly. "It's fine,” He goes back to bending down towards Minho’s leg for inspection, completely unworried about his own wound. “No need to make a fuss over it. I'm more concerned about your ankle, they dug into it pretty good, huh?" He looks up from where he's crouched to make eye contact with Minho only to find the younger staring back at him with a mixture of emotions. Jisung needs to get everyone out of here as quickly as possible, however having a moment with Minho will have to wait until the four of them are safe.

Breaking eye contact, Jisung turns his head away, mentions that he'll be back in a second, and runs over to retrieve Felix and the still passed out Hyunjin.

He hikes the lanky boy up his back and secures a firm grip around the younger's legs, mindful of how he's handling the fragile human. “The edge of the forest is just down this hill.” Jisung tips his head in the direction they need to go and they make their way out.

The sun has already set, so the trio relies on Jisung's knowledge of where to go, trustful of the wolf they only just met. Every now and then Felix offers help to Minho's limping form, especially when attempting to move past the incline of land. When the faint light shining from nearby street lamps come into sight, only then do all of them let out a breath of relief.

“Is there somewhere we can wait until the coast is clear? Someplace to stay overnight might be best since Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin will most likely be scouting for anymore ambushes. That pack is a nasty one with lots of twisted morals and they definitely won't be too happy about what I did to those three."

Felix looks up in thought while continuing to walk forward. “My place will be too cramped, but Hyunjin’s apartment might work?” The younger supplies in thought. He's never been to the slightly older boy's home, but he assumes with how well off he seems at school and when they hangout in general, that wherever Hyunjin lives will be okay for now.

Minho gnaws worriedly on his bottom lip from not only the faint throb that beats through his ankle everytime he walks, but also from Felix's suggestion. Right now the situation lies in Minho's hands, he needs to do the right thing, even if it exposes Hyunjin’s private life. “I know the code to get in.”

They walk for quite some time and Minho, who was previously limping, begins to walk normally; and thank goodness for that, because their group was getting quite a few stares. Jisung shifts the taller boy currently on his back, making sure that he doesn't slip off, and suddenly realizes something. “What about his parents?” He questions randomly and it does take Minho and Felix a split second to realize what the redhead is talking about. “Won’t they find Hyunjin being passed out kinda, I don't know, _alarming_?”

“They, uhm… They live abroad and just pay for his place.”

Both Felix and Jisung look towards Minho with shocked and curious faces.

“When’s the last time he’s seen his mom and dad?” Felix asks timidly.

“When they came to Korea for a business meeting in July.”

Even though it was Felix who asked the question, Jisung is the one who nods his head and lets out a hum. He then gives a smile towards both the boys beside him trying to lift the mood a little. “I guess it hasn’t been _too_ long then-”

“Of last year…” Minho drops the bomb and just like that, Jisung's smile wipes off his face completely.

The half-breed knows he shouldn’t really be the one to tell Hyunjin’s story like this, but they’re going to figure it out anyways once they arrive at the boy’s apartment. So might as well tell them now. “It’s not even as if his parents are bad people, because they’re _not_ , but they shouldn't have had a child if they were going to be absent for most of his life.” Minho lets out a sigh of both tiredness and relief once he notices how close they are to their destination. “Come on, his apartment building is down this road.”

When all three boys walk inside, with Hyunjin passed out on Jisung’s back, the two receptionists at the front give the group a suspicious glance. It’s only when the red head begins to put up an act and exclaim how the guy on his back had a little too much to drink that the receptionists throw a few laughs and one points them in the direction of the elevators. Not that Minho needed to be told, but with how beat up he himself looks, might as well play the silly drunkard card to avoid any further suspicion.

Minho directs everyone towards the correct apartment, punches in the code, and allows everyone to pile inside before him.

“Damn! He has this _whole_ thing to himself?!” Felix gapes at the size of his friend's apartment, amazed at how his parents trust him with such a luxury. It’s way bigger than his cramped space he shares with his grandmother, even if it still couldn’t be compared to the pack house. However, there’s not much personalization to the place, other than a few knick knacks, some potted plants, and a handful of photos with a smartly dressed Hyunjin, placed along the entrance, and a couple smaller framed ones of a dog.

Felix quickly realized that there’s also no dog currently living in the apartment so he assumes the animal is no longer with the family; Which just leaves him even more upset at how Hyunjin must feel living in such a lonely place.

After Minho directs Jisung on where Hyunjin's room is, the omega comes back out to the common area to snoop around a bit; Just like Felix has been doing since stepping inside. 

To Jisung, the place is simple enough, nothing too extraordinary, but the place seems a bit off. “Anyone else find it a little odd that this place doesn’t have a single photo of his parents? Kinda freaking me out if I’m being honest. I can't even smell a trace of them...” He says the last part under his breath, but Minho and Felix hear him anyways.

The youngest of the three nods his head in agreement, looking at the handful of well kept succulents placed along a window. “What do his mom and dad do exactly? Hyunjin has never talked about them.”

“They’re both architects. They were recruited during his first year of high school to take a job overseas and that’s where they spend most, if not all, of their time. Before, they would come home late and leave early in the morning; Hyunjin basically raised himself.” Minho sits on the spacious couch situated in the living room and looks at the pile of magazines, school notes, and random slips of paper Hyunjin has littered his coffee table with. “I would spend the night most of the time, but once I got into third year it became harder to do.”

They talk a bit more about school and filling Jisung in on who they are until Minho notices just how tired Felix is and decides to point to a door down the hall. "You look like you’re about to join Hyunjin in passing out. Go ahead and wash up, Felix. There should be towels in the upper cabinet."

Felix does as he’s instructed, nodding sleepily, and heads to the bathroom, leaving Jisung and Minho alone.

“It seems like all of us have lost something or another.” Jisung gets up from the chair he was previously sitting in and gingerly sits beside Minho on the couch,ot leaving much space between the two of them simply because he can’t really stand being far from the other right now.

“What do you mean?”

“You talked about Hyunjin’s parents with a sort of _guilt_ and _longing_. I didn’t want to jump to any assumptions, but has something happened to your own?”

Minho looks down where his fingers are splayed across his thighs and rubs them nervously up and down. “They died long ago. First my father and then my mother.” Minho huffs out a humorless chuckle and spares a glance to the boy beside him. “It’s so fucking sad that I don’t even know how or why they died… they just did.”

From his peripheral, Minho notices Jisung’s eyes grow wide and then shrink into a sad mold. “I’m sorry, Minho.” The red head reaches over and runs a comforting hand along the other's back, transferring soothing energy to the younger- or at least he attempts to; Jisung isn’t too sure how it’ll work if the two of them aren’t mated or officially in the same pack yet.

The half-breed shakes his head lightly and gives Jisung a tiny smile, letting him know that it’s truly fine. “Don’t be. Like I said, it happened a long time ago. But you’re right about all of us losing something. Felix lost his parents as well, he said it was a car accident.”

Minho thinks back to when he had first met Felix and how, when he told him this information, something seemed a bit off, but he trusts that Felix would never lie about something so heavy. Now was he telling the whole truth? Minho’s wolf senses seemed to have doubted it at the time and that alone caused suspicion.

“I could tell with the way his aura felt after you mentioned the word _'parents'_.”

"What have the others lost?"

Jisung lifts his brows in surprise and nods his head, the atmosphere turning a little south. “Chan and Woojin hyung’s original packs were both taken out by hunters, that’s how they found each other, back in the late 50’s. This led them to inherit a lot of money, but they had one of the greatest losses one could have. They lost their family, two entire packs. It’s best if they tell you the whole story, since I can never do it any justice.”

“Jeongin and Seungmin’s parents were actually in the process of building their own pack when they got ambushed by a couple of hunters.” Jisung shakes his head softly and lets a sigh seep out. “The only reason those two are even alive is because Seungmin ran and hid the both of them. Jeongin was only seven at the time, still a pup. When their parents died they stayed cooped up in a literal dirt hole for two days until Chan and Woojin found them. They took them in and adopted them.”

Minho thinks about the two younger wolves and silently sympathizes with them, because he knows what it’s like to lose both parents at such a young age.

“As for Changbin hyung, his pack kicked him out and completely disowned him. His parents were too scared of his powers and what they would become, or that he would toss out their leader; his own father. It was the pack who came to our territory and ambushed us, not a very nice group if I’m being honest. If you only _knew_ all the shit they’ve done!”

The half-breed remembers just how worried Seungmin was when warning Hyunjin about how dangerous the oncoming pack was. In fact, the omega was so worried about Hyunjin’s safety that he imprinted with Minho’s best friend just to get the stubborn male to stop arguing.

"Why would they do that?

Jisung snorts in answer to Minho’s question, “Chase us or show up to our doorstep?” but quickly realizes that Minho was actually being serious, because of course he wouldn’t know about how horrible the Seocha pack is.

Minho stares at the small omega with bright and almost innocent eyes. “Both.”

“Well, they probably found out that hyung imprinted.” Jisung turns his whole body towards Minho and crosses his legs, getting more into the conversation. “The blonde one- Felix? I can smell Changbin’s scent _all_ over him and vice versa, even though the two aren't even fully mated yet their bond is _insanely_ strong. Also…” The omega turns his head slightly away and scratches behind his ear. “It’s not forbidden to mate with a human, since fate brings humans and wolves together occasionally, but it’s almost shunned, in a way? Mostly by the elders. They see their offspring- mixed breed wolves- as a threat.”

Now this catches Minho’s attention. “How come?”

“Because they can practically blend in, distorting senses and powers. Even though you told me you take suppressants, that only helps with transformation urges and emotional display. Some wolves might be able to tell that you’re in fact mixed, but it would take an extremely keen sense of smell to truly know. Now, if someone were to try and decipher your emotions or aura while you’re off the suppressants, it would be practically impossible.”

Minho makes a sound of confusion. “But you said just moments ago that you read me perfectly fine when I felt hurt about the mention of parents?”

A peppering of warm pink colors Jisung’s cheeks, which in return causes Minho to smirk. Minho actually finds the Oh So Confident Jisung blushing to be amusing. “Well, now I can. Since we’re imprinted, we have a sort of connection towards each other. Of course it’ll become stronger once we complete the bonding ceremony, and the same will go for the rest of the pack once you're officially initiated.”

“A-anyways, if someone with a physically manipulative/altering power, like Changbin, were to use their abilities on you, it wouldn’t work.” Minho lets out a quiet _‘Oh’_ while nodding his head in understanding. He can’t actually believe that he’s able to do such things if he’s being honest. "In other words, you have a shield over you. Same goes for Felix and Hyunjin if they complete the bonding ceremony and turn."

“What’s Changbin’s power? I’ve never seen him use it.”

“You may have noticed it and never put two and two together. Hyung has the gift of life and death.”

Minho raises his eyebrows in an impressed gesture. It seems like Changbin has an incredible power, a very altering one at that! And now that Jisung has mentioned it, Minho _did_ notice a vase of flowers that’s been sitting in the living room have a more vibrant appearance yesterday, from when he originally saw them the day before that, when there were petals with sickly brown splotches and leaves beginning to wither.

“He can bring things back to life, but if hyung isn’t concentrating fully then it kills them or drains their lifeforce. Hyung’s power is _extremely_ rare, which is another reason why his pack abandoned him.” Jisung lets out a long yawn and widens his eyes, attempting to keep himself awake while having this conversation.

A smile creeps along Minho's features as he begins to stand up, dragging a reluctant Jisung with him. “I think we should get some rest, I’m sure you’re drained from all of your traveling.”

“Yeah I am pretty exhausted, but we’ll have plenty of time to talk about all of this, so there’s no rush.” The two of them go to where they left Hyunjin earlier and notice a sleeping Felix snuggled right beside him. “Looks like he crashed as soon as he got out of the shower.” Minho lets out an unattractive snort and closes the door, but makes sure to grab a few articles of clothing before exiting the room completely.

Jisung and Minho end up both taking a shower - separately of course - dressing in Hyunjin’s clothes like Felix had done earlier. Then Minho awkwardly leads the both of them to the room that’s _supposed_ to be Hyunjin’s parents, but looks like a simple spare room. Minho stands in the doorway, hesitant, while Jisung looks skeptically into the mundane room beside him.

The half-breed then clears his throat. “So, do you want me to take the couch or-”

Jisung turns his head around quickly, wide eyes looking worriedly back at Minho. “Are you seriously suggesting that? We’ve imprinted-”

“Hey, I’m just making sure you’re comfortable in whatever we do…” He throws his hands up in defense, letting the shorter one in front of him know that he didn’t mean it to come across like that.

Jisung’s eye widen in surprise and for the second time that night he wonders what he did to deserve someone like Minho. Sure, common courtesy like Minho is portraying is just something everyone should do, but growing up in his pack he was taught that someone like him was never supposed to get something like this. He quickly schools his expression and begs the warm wash of blush to beat it because he probably looks ridiculous getting embarrassed by something so simple. “Thank you, but I think I’d rather not separate from you; I might go crazy.”

“Really?” Minho thinks back to the time when Changbin and Felix had imprinted, the two stayed together for the rest of the night and that entire next morning. He can’t even imagine what this means for Seungmin and Hyunjin.

“Yeah, me more so than you. Since you’re mixed it may be slightly different, but if I leave you right now I’m not going to get a wink of sleep.” The shorter man rambles on while pulling back the duvet and crawling into the spacious bed, waiting for Minho to do the same.

Minho pads over to the switch and kills the lights, washing the room in darkness, save for the blueish light being casted through the window. “Do you think Seungmin is okay?” Minho never thought those specific words would ever leave his mouth, considering the relationship the two of them share.

“I’m honestly not too sure. Sure, Seungmin has a crazy amount of restraint, but imprinting is a powerful thing. I’m kinda surprised he let us take Hyunjin.”

Minho makes a hum of acknowledgement to what the omega just said and gets into bed beside him. He’s shared a bed with Hyunjin countless times, even cuddling up with him when he felt a little blue and on top of that, just the other day Jeongin and him were cuddled on the couch watching some drama. But this? This is way different considering the rate at which his heart is currently pounding; that never happened with the others.

He doesn't really know what comes over him, but Minho carefully slings an arm over the smaller’s waist and scoots a little closer, feeling way more content. "Is this okay?"

"Y-yeah. I mean- yes. Yes this is cool."

"Cool?"

"It's nice…" Jisung adds in a softer tone, leaning just a tad bit further into Minho’s touch, silently craving it.

“Good.” A content smile slowly appears across the half-breed’s face and just as he begins to close his eyes and relax, Jisung speaks up.

"Can I tell you something kinda personal?" Minho stays silent and rubs his thumb along his waist ever so gently to let Jisung know that he is listening. "I never put a lot of thought into having a mate or how and if I would even end up with someone. My parents told me, ever since I was young, that… runts will never be good enough for a mate. So I've had this recurring voice in my head that always reminded me of how unworthy I truly am." The brave and confident Jisung that Minho has come to know so far is replaced with the current Jisung; curled in on himself, voice fragile, and his somber aura so strong, even Minho can pick up on it.

Minho didn’t know his heart could break so much for someone before, but it looks like he’s learning a lot today. "Look at me, Jisung." Minho guides his hand from Jisung’s waist to the latter’s cheek, turning his face back to him. "Since you were honest with me, I'm going to do the same with you. I don't know much about our kind, but I'm not dumb. Your parents should have never said such a cruel thing to you, what I saw from you tonight- taking on three wolves _by yourself_ for three strangers-"

"You're not a stranger!" Jisung interrupts hastily.

"-and making sure all of us are safe and taken care of? I don't know about you, but that seems unbelievably brave if you were to ask me. Just because you were born different, doesn't make you any less stronger or normal than others. Okay?"

The boy in question nods his head and Minho hopes his words get through to him. He knows Jisung isn't just instantly going to be over the trauma his parents so graciously gave him, but it’s a start. "Thank you, Minho." And with that Minho brings his hand back to its original position on Jisung and scoots just a tad closer than before; instincts telling him to comfort the other.

Jisung curls his right hand up and tucks it even further towards his face, causing the piece of jewelry on his index finger to catch on the bit of light shining through a nearby window. The same emerald ring Minho has not only seen in every picture with Jisung present, but also in his dreams of the ginger-haired stranger. And just like that it all makes sense; it's him, Han Jisung is the one he sees in his dreams. Minho doesn't really know why he's there or how, but that mystery will have to wait. "Get some rest, sunshine."

Once Jisung’s breathing evens out and the entire apartment is silent except for the constant city life moving outside, Minho begins to whisper a few words while he himself drifts between sleep and awake. "I've dreamt of you for the past eight years. And I hope that… I hope that you can gain the strength and confidence that you have given me in my times of need. Be strong."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments! Likes and words of motivation are ALWAYS welcomed~  
> And as always, thank you for reading!
> 
> Next Time:  
> -Minho's birthday  
> -Changlix ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> -Minsung ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> -Jeongin meets a boy??
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @CadeIsTrash <3


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